HJS
by Ninja Goldfish
Summary: Slight AU. Severus Snape has many haunting memories to drive him to the firewhisky. What happens when a certain bushy-haired teen is driven there too? When she wakes up the next morning in his bed? SS/HG. Currently in editing. Patience please!
1. Author's Note!

**Attention readers, but new and old! Due to the drastic nature that my editing process has taken on, I will be taking down the entire story (please don't kill me!) and reposting from the beginning. I promise that the basic plotline will remain the same, but some of the details are going to be different, so in order to avoid confusion, this is the course I have decided to take… Again, please don't kill me! (Death is bad for your health :P ) Patience is greatly appreciated. Thank you to all of my readers! :D**


	2. Ch1:Lessons Learned

**Alright. Welcome to HJS :) Here's a brief little…briefing for you:**

**This story is slightly AU. It takes place after Book 7. Severus Snape has survived his encounter with Nagini and Harry, Ron, and Hermione have already returned to Hogwarts and have completed their final year of schooling. Many students who were unable to complete their year in Book 7 also have repeated a year, in case you're confused by any characters appearing. **

**Thanks for reading! And enjoy! :)**

"Ooh," Ronald Weasley groaned as he sat back in his chair in the kitchen of Number 12 Grimmauld Place. "I'm stuffed. Couldn't down another pea…"

"What a pity," tutted his portly red-haired mother. "There's pecan pie."

Ron's slack face snapped into a bright expression and he straightened suddenly. "I've suddenly found room," he declared.

Hermione rolled her eyes and shook her bushy-haired head. "Honestly Ron, you'll make yourself sick."

The redhead looked up, eyes sparkling, from the slice of pie his mother had just plopped onto his plate. "But I'll be happy."

She sighed and politely declined the slice offered to her by Mrs. Weasley.

"Any for you, Harry?"

"Yes please," he replied, holding out his plate.

Harry Potter had done a great deal of growing up since the downfall of the Dark Lord Voldemort. His dark hair had reached new heights of untidiness that would horrify his Aunt Petunia. After his, Ron's, and Hermione's months searching for Horcruxes and running on minimal nutrition, his year exposed to the Hogwarts cooking had triggered a growth spurt that left him inches above most of the faces around him. But the changes weren't all physical. Come September, he and Ron would both be accepting positions training as aurors. Life would be moving on for all of them. He secretly worried for their little trio. With them each going in separate directions, there was no guarantee that they would be able to stay as close as they had always been.

Hermione watched her two best friends ungracefully shoveling pie into their mouths and secretly worried the same thing. She had applied for a healing internship at St. Mungo's. As expected, her NEWT scores had come back as perfect. An O in every subject. Without the trouble that they had all come to expect yearly at the school, she had been able to devote what she felt was a more proper amount of her time to her studies. She had known going into the year what she was aiming for in a career. Her experiences in the final battle, seeing the horror of the wounded all around her and being unable to do anything to help them, had determined her to learn the art of healing. Never again would she have to look at row upon row of wounded and be completely powerless to stop their pain. But no matter how worthy the cause, she couldn't but regret that it would have to draw her away from Ron and Harry.

"Ron, slow down," Ginny said, watching with an expression of disgusted fascination as her brother inhaled his pie. "You're making me sick just watching you devour that. Mum did not give birth to a Blast-Ended Skrewt."

"Shuh uh, 'inhy," he replied through a mouth full of pie.

"That's articulate," Ginny returned sarcastically.

"That is quite enough," Mrs. Weasley cut in sharply. She set a loaded plate of food on the table. "Someone please take this up to the third landing, second door. Professor Snape, I'm sure, is hungry."

Harry immediately sat up straighter. "Why's he here?"

His old grudge against the man had disappeared, but there was just something about knowing that his professor had been in love with his mother that unnerved him. Especially since the man had given him those memories expecting to die. When Snape had woken up in the Hospital Wing, he had been in a mood to rival all others. Harry could understand, of course. The man's most closely guarded secret had been revealed and shoved into public eye.

Mrs. Weasley gave him a disapproving glance. "His stay is only temporary, I assure you. He is stopping here to rest for the night before continuing on to Hogwarts in the morning. I hope I do not need to instruct you all to treat him with the utmost respect while he is here." She fixed each of them in turn with a stern gaze before marching to the sink and beginning on the dishes.

Ginny glanced at her companions, scraped the remainder of her half-eaten pecan pie onto Ron's plate, and silently took her plate to the sink. Her mother flashed her a smile as she took up a sponge and started scrubbing dishes.

Harry ducked his head and renewed eating with newfound vigor. Ron glanced surreptitiously at Hermione across the table.

Hermione rolled her eyes and huffed, "Hand it over to me. Honestly Ronald, he won't hurt you."

"You think," he muttered in reply as he shoved the plate toward her.

She glared, grabbed the dinner, and stood from the table. "I'll be back in a few minutes. In one piece, I assure you."

The steps creaked under her Muggle tennis shoes as she ascended the stairway to the third landing. That was the thing about Hogwarts. Old buildings such as Number 12 Grimmauld Place tended to creak and moan in the night. It creeped her out, to be honest. But Hogwarts's stone hallways were always silent, save for the miscreant feet of students out of bed.

Arriving at the third floor, Hermione approached the second door. She raised her arm and her fist connected solidly with the hard wood as she knocked firmly. She waited a few moments, listening. There was no response from within the room. Glancing between the doorknob and the plate of food in her hand, she knocked again. The door remained closed. There was no sound of any movement.

Unsure how to proceed, she looked back in the direction of the stairs. She could return to the kitchen and say there wasn't any response… But surely if he had been travelling, he would be hungry. Perhaps he had just fallen asleep?

She reached hesitantly for the doorknob. He would be angry at her for entering without permission, yes. But with any luck, he would be glad enough of the food to forgive her trespass. She turned the knob…and was perversely grateful when it was stopped halfway through its rotation, proving to be locked.

After another moment's deliberation, she retraced her steps to the staircase. A muffled thump sounded behind her, and she stopped cold, one foot partially descended toward the first stair. Silence pervaded the third floor. But she was certain she'd heard the noise. It had sounded as though someone had thrown something, or as though they themselves had fallen to the floor.

Hermione's Gryffindor spontaneity kicked in automatically. Without thought, she returned to standing outside the door. She pulled her wand from her pocket, and with a muttered "Alohomora," the lock clicked open. She turned the knob and stepped into the room. As the door shut behind her, she was immersed in near total darkness.

Dark shades were pulled across the large window on the opposite wall, obstructing all but the most stubborn of the moon's rays. A small dollop of light trickled into the room from the two centimeter gap beneath the door. But no more light pervaded the gloom. Hermione remained with her back to the door, one hand on the knob, as her eyes struggled to adjust to the drastic contrast to the hall just beyond the door at her back.

"Professor?" she called into the darkness.

The air was stifling. Stale, almost moldy. It felt as though no living thing had resided in these chambers for a hundred years. Hermione was nearly inclined to believe it, except that Mrs. Weasley had told her that he was here. And the noise. She had heard that distinctly.

She took a hesitant step forward, keeping her free hand out in front of her. She could vaguely make out the dim shapes of furniture around her. To her right was a large outline that she assumed was the bed. She carefully made her way to it. The white comforter stood out in stark contrast to the darkness. Against its brightness, no lumps or bulges stood out; the bed was empty.

Growing weary of stumbling about in the dark, she slid the dinner plate onto the bed. She retracted her wand from the pocket of her Muggle jeans, a whispered "Lumos," falling from her lips. The sudden flare of light from the tip of the wand momentarily blinded her as effectively as the thick blanket of darkness had only a few moments before.

As her pupils slowly constricted to accommodate the most recent level of lighting, Hermione took a quick inventory of her surroundings. She stood beside a large, queen-sized bed, as she had already discovered. Across the bed from her, a wardrobe stood against the wall. Beside it, a door which led to the lavatory, judging by the glimpse she caught of a sink, stood ajar. Directly across from her, a small wooden cabinet sat beside a larger wooden desk.

In front of the desk in a grey Muggle rolling chair sat Professor Snape. He was slumped forward with his arms crossed on the wood, his head resting on them as he stared at a crystal vial centimeters from his overlarge beak of a nose. His usual pitch black robes hung loosely from his frame, as though he'd not been eating properly.

Hermione took a step toward him, then instantly recoiled with a small yelp as her foot touched something solid on the ground. Glancing down for the first time, she was amazed to discover that her former professor's room was a total wreck. Books were strewn across the floor in complete disarray. Near the door to the toilet, a small pile of rubble bore witness to the untimely demise of a clay vase. Within the lavatory, the sink proved to be full of empty potion vials.

"Professor?" she called out to him, wrenching her eyes away from the mess to focus on him once again. The man didn't so much as flinch.

Carefully weaving her way through the debris on the floor, she crossed the length of the room to stand beside his chair. She placed a hand gingerly on his shoulder.

"Professor Snape, I-"

The rolling chair moaned as it jerked around. Snape's hand snaked out to grab hold of a stunned Hermione's wrist in an iron grip as he glared up at her. "What do you think you are doing in my rooms, Miss Granger?" he demanded, voice dangerously soft.

Her eyes widened to glowing brown orbs in the dim light shining in through the slits in the curtain. "Please let go of me, Professor," she requested in a quiet voice.

Snape released her wrist as suddenly as he had taken hold of it. "Are you afraid of me, Granger?" he sneered.

"Not usually," she replied, retracting her hand from his shoulder and massaging the sore wrist.

The man stood, towering over her. "How about now?"

Hermione fought the urge to cringe away from him. "You need to eat, Professor. Mrs. Weasley sent me up with dinner for you." She gestured toward the plate on the bed.

His eyes swept over it, then returned to the girl standing before him. He lowered himself back into the rolling chair and turned his gaze to again rest on the vial sitting on his desk.

"Sir," Hermione asked timidly, "what is that potion?"

He ignored her, lost in the realms of his own mind. She doubted he had even heard her question, riveted as he was by the crystal vial.

She took this as a dismissal and crossed to the door. Pausing with a hand on the knob, she turned for one final glance at the man who had taught her for eight years. Many of the lessons he'd taught had been neither in the classroom, nor even intentional. He had taught her potions to the best of his considerable ability, yes. But he had also taught her the ultimate power of love. He had taught her the true value of undying loyalty. Things that could never be taught in a classroom, but only by example, she had learned from Severus Snape.

"Professor Snape…" she called out. "Severus?" He made no motion of having heard her, but she continued anyway. "Sir, take care of yourself. You were not saved from that snake only so that you could poison or starve yourself. You survived for a reason…"

If she hadn't thought before that he was listening, she knew now how very wrong she was. He turned a toxic glare on her and stood slowly from his chair. As he advanced on her, she wanted to bolt, to just turn the doorknob and flee down the staircase, but she was frozen to the spot, rooted in place by his basilisk's gaze.

He closed the distance between them, his face hanging just centimeters from hers. As she stared, wide-eyed, up at him, the tips of his lank black hair trailed across her face.

"What I do with myself is no concern of your, Granger," he hissed. "Perhaps it would have been better to let me die, as I recall showing absolutely no inclination to be, as you so heroically put it, _saved_." His words dripped venom as deadly to the soul as the venom of the basilisk of the Chamber of Secrets had been to the body.

Hermione felt herself recoil from him, pressing herself as far into the door as possible.

"Get out," he said in a low growl. He turned his back on her and took a few steps toward the desk.

She stared at his back as she slowly turned the doorknob.

"I said, _get out_, Granger!" he roared, whipping back around.

A yelp escaped her and she wrenched open the door. Before it shut behind her, she caught one last glimpse of his livid expression. It was enough to send her hurriedly down the stairs.


	3. Ch2:The Heat

**ATTENTION! Hehe, I love bold letters…Makes me feel important :) But anyway, this is important for some of you. I'm increasing the rating on this fic to M. I'm sorry if this upsets some of you, but I've had some requests for it, and that's the direction that the story has taken me. So if it offends you, you have been warned. Feel free to skip the parts that are offensive – I'm pretty sure you'll still get the basic concept. Thanks! -Ninja Goldfish**

**Chapter 2**

Hermione lay curled in a protective ball around her book. She barely acknowledged the fact that it was past midnight and everyone else had already gone to bed.

At least, she thought everyone else had gone to bed. A noise in the hallway alerted her to someone else's waking presence in the house. She laid the book aside carefully and reached into her pocket for her wand… Only to find an empty space.

Panic swept over her as her mind scrabbled desperately to remember what had happened to her wand. The last time she remembered having it was…in Professor Snape's room. She had cast a _Lumos_ charm to see by. And then…? Then her wrist had been captured, and subsequently released. She'd been ignored and had gone to leave. Then she'd opened her mouth without thinking, and he'd reacted with all the fury of a rampaging Hungarian Horn-tailed Dragon. In her fear, she must have dropped her wand in his room.

"Damn," she muttered. She reminded herself of where she was. She was in the former headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, and the current residence of Harry Potter, defeater of Lord Voldemort. She was safe here. No one could get inside without their being made aware of it. It was probably just Ron up to get another slice of pecan pie.

"Ron?" she called. The only response was the thud of someone falling against a wall.

Hermione rose from the couch and crept cautiously to the doorway. Peeking her head into the hallway, a thrill of fear went through her as she caught sight of Professor Snape. But something was off. He clung to the wall like a drowning victim to a life raft, and as she took a slow step toward him, she could hear him muttering to himself.

"Professor Snape, are you alright?" she asked carefully.

His head snapped around, causing him to lose hold of the wall. He swayed dangerously for a moment before regaining his balance.

"Fine," he snapped. "Or I would be if the floor'd hold still," he continued under his breath.

"Sir, let me help you to your room," she offered. And while she was there, she could take the opportunity to regain her missing wand.

"I don' need help," he declared haughtily, drawing himself up to his full height. The effect was spoiled, however, as he teetered forward and threatened to topple.

Hermione sprang forward and grabbed hold of his shoulders, righting him with a concerted effort. "Obviously you do need my help."

"I don'," he snapped, trying to jerk himself out of her grasp. His only success was in nearly falling to the floor on his backside.

"How much have you had to drink tonight?" she asked in disgust as she caught a whiff of the firewhisky on his breath.

"Why d'you care?" he demanded sullenly.

She raised an eyebrow, Snape-style. "How much?"

He paused. "I dunno… Two bottles, maybe three…"

Her breath released in a huff. "Let's get you upstairs to your own room, shall we?"

He grumbled, but allowed her to take his arm and lead him back toward the stairs. They managed to stumble their way up to the second landing before the infamous Snape temper flared.

"Can't you go any faster?" he griped.

Hermione gritted her teeth. "We're going as fast as we can, Professor." His weight was taking a toll on her, climbing these stairs, although she knew that he wasn't near the weight he should be.

Upon reaching the third floor, she breathlessly opened the second door and moved aside for him to enter ahead of her. In contrast to earlier that evening, the room was brightly lit. In the center of the room, three glowing balls of light revolved slowly around each other near the ceiling. A couple of empty bottles with "Ferdinand's Firewhisky" written in elegant script on the sides now joined the mess on the floor.

Hermione caught Snape's arm once again and led him to the bed. "Sit," she instructed.

"But-"

"Sit," she insisted, "and I'll go check the lavatory for a sober-up potion. You n-" She stopped cold as he sank to the bed. It was not his obedience that froze her, but the distinct _snap_ of a wooden object breaking in two. "What was that?" she whispered fearfully.

The man on the bed reached underneath his rear end, face screwed up in concentration as he searched. A few tense seconds later, his face lit up and he emerged with the remains of Hermione's wand.

Her hearth plummeted to her toes as she took the pieces from his hand. The wood was snapped clean in half, held together only by the single Dragon's Heartstring that had been the core of her wand. The world spun dangerously around her.

"My wand," she croaked.

"Tried to tell you," Snape shrugged.

"My wand," she repeated, still staring at the pieces.

"Here," he said brusquely, shoving a bottle toward her.

She took it with numb fingers. Hardly away of what she was doing, she tipped the bottle back, taking a long swig. The fiery liquid burned its way to the pit of her stomach, where it smoldered, lending a comforting sensation to her shell-shocked brain. Another upward tilt of the bottle further dulled her agonized mind. One sip at a time… And before she knew it, she was pounding the last drop from the bottom of the glass.

Hermione dropped onto the bed beside her former professor. The bottle slipped from her hand and landed on the floor with a thud. "Oops," she giggled, covering her mouth with a hand. She fell backward across the bed.

Snape did the same, turning on his side to face the girl beside him. She turned her head to look at him.

"What?" she asked. "Why're you lookin' at me?"

"I want you," he said bluntly.

She blinked at him. "You… What?"

He reached out, wrapping one arm around her waist and the other around her shoulders, and pulled her roughly toward himself. Their bodies met and he pressed himself against her soft form. He took his arm from her shoulders, cradling her face instead. Carefully, he inched his face closer to hers.

She stared up at him, captivated by his black gaze, unsure what she should do. Should she pull away? Or should she let him kiss her? She wondered what those lips would feel like against hers… Wandering down her neck… Across her bare chest, his tongue tracing warm circles around her…

Her fantasy was cut short as her decision was made for her. His lips were soft and warm, pressed against her own. She whimpered, moving a hand to the back of his neck. His lips moved insistently, and she responded in kind. A thrill of desire raced through her body as his tongue traced the contours of her skin. She parted her lips for him and he swept his tongue into her mouth, exploring the cavern.

One of his hands was tangled in the soft hair at the base of her skull. The other roamed her body, pressing her closer. Down her back, she gasped as he grabbed the seat of her pants and pulled her against him. Against her belly, she could feel the heat of his desire for her.

As her fantasy of moments before began to come true, and he kissed a line across her jaw line down to her neck, she felt sensations she'd never experienced before. Heat pounded down her belly and between her legs in a way that she'd never imagined. She never wanted it to end… Visions of the things he could do to her passed before her eyes. She wanted them. She wanted to be ravaged in this bed, by this man. Right now. Her raging body demanded it.

Somewhere in the back of her drunken mind, it occurred to her that this was a bad idea. That they were, in fact, drunk, and that they would both regret it in the morning. But this part of her mind was easily repressed in the maddening heat of the moment.

Suddenly his lips were gone from her body. She instantly craved a return of the intoxicating contact. He rolled her onto her back and swung a leg over her body, hovering over her. His fingers fumbled with the button on her Muggle jeans, while she kicked her socks to the floor. Releasing the catch with a grunt, he slid the material from her waist, down her legs, and to the floor, dropping them in a heap.

The heat between her legs flared as his finger slipped beneath the waistband of her underwear, tracing her hips lightly. She moaned, and a smile graced his lips. Propping herself up on one elbow, she pulled him down on top of her. Kissing him soundly, she rolled him over to be on top of him. Without breaking the kiss, she pulled the robes from his shoulders to confront the white button down shirt she wore underneath. She broke the kiss, and undid the long row of buttons with deft fingers. Shirt and robe joined her pants on the floor.


	4. Ch3:Waking Up

**Chapter 3**

Her head was pounding.

Hermione groaned and rolled onto her side, adjusting her legs to a more comfortable position. Pain shot through her thighs at the movement. Her eyes snapped open and she sat straight up in bed, dropping the blankets from her bare shoulders and sending her skull into a wave of crushing agony.

Clutching her head in her hands, she pieced together her memories of the night, realizing that the headache was the least of her problems right now. She remembered everything up to entering his room. From there, things were scattered.

Her broken wand between her fingers... Him removing her bra... The burning desire she had felt for him... Pulling the pants from his undernourished frame... Falling asleep in his arms... She remembered the peace she had felt within the warm circle of his embrace...

The memories made her cheeks burn with shame. Even drunk she should have known better. Should have left. Should have screamed. Should have kept her clothes on and her legs shut.

She groaned again, opening her eyes to peer around the room. The man was nowhere to be found. Crawling slowly across the bed, she looked over the edge for her clothes. They were still in the same jumbled heap from the night before. But his clothes, of course, were missing from the pile.

Reaching down for her undergarments, she silently prayed that he wouldn't return while she was dressing. She dreaded facing him at all after this, but having to face him naked, or even only partially clothed, would be altogether too much for her to handle.

Her fingers trembled as she fumbled to dress as quickly as possible, which only made the time drag by more slowly. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief as she finished pulling her t-shirt over her head without the door swinging open.

Now fully dressed, she hurried toward the door, pausing only to delicately lift the broken fragments of her wand from the nightstand. As her fingers grazed over the broken wood, a jolt of panic spread through her. A witch without a wand was like a dog without fur; outcast, disgusting, ill. (**A/N: Not saying I don't like hairless breeds... We're talking about mange here.**) An immediate trip to Ollivander's was a must.

Hermione tucked the shattered wand safely away in her pocket and slipped out of the room to the hallway. The sounds of her breakfasting companions drifted up the stairs to greet her. She took a deep breath, praying that Ginny was among them. The last thing she wanted now was an interrogation.

She quickly descended to the second landing and pushed open the door to her room. A sigh of relief released itself from her when it became apparent that Ginny was not in their room. Crossing quickly to the wardrobe, Hermione blindly snatched up a clean Muggle t-shirt, jeans, and undergarments. An immediate shower was in order.

Entering the bathroom, she clicked the lock firmly into place and stripped out of her clothes. She stood for a moment, standing naked for the second time in less than ten minutes. She twisted and turned in front of the mirror, looking for marks on her skin: bruises or scrapes. To her actual surprise, she found none. He was, apparently, a more gentle bed partner than she would have ever expected him to be.

She turned to the bathtub and began running the water as hot as she could stand it. As the water ran, she knelt beside the basin, elbows propped on the sides, and stared at the water rushing down into the vast gulf that waited below to envelop it, to convert it, to make it utterly indistinguishable from every other bit of water around it. Once the water made the reckless leap from the tap, it was all over. It was absorbed and consumed by its surroundings.

Her mind ran in circles, taunting her, shoving images from the night before into view. She was still in shock over what had happened. She had gotten drunk and slept with a teacher. And not just any teacher. Snape. One of the most precious things she had ever possessed had now been stripped from her as easily as had her clothing. It had been snatched away by her teacher and a little – well, a lot, really – alcohol. And admittedly he wasn't her teacher anymore, but the thought was still horrifying. Professor _Severus Snape!_

Not only the "who" bothered her. It was also the "what." Hermione had been taught since childhood that sex was a special thing to be shared between a husband and a wife, and _only_ between a husband and wife. Now? Her chance of being a virgin on her wedding night was shattered forever, and all because of a bit of firewhisky.

She dropped one hand to trail aimlessly across the surface of the water. The quiet roar of the running water soothed her mind, acting as a sedative, allowing her mind to escape the barrage of shame that its own self was throwing at it. Her thoughts were subdued as she turned off the water and climbed over the walls of the bathtub. The intrusion of her body into the bathtub caused the water level to rise nearly to the top and threaten to spill over.

Hermione allowed herself to relax momentarily, reveling in the cocoon of warmth that surrounded her. A moment was all that she allowed herself before taking hold of a bar of soap and washrag and vigorously tackling the task of cleansing herself. She scrubbed at her skin until every inch of herself was pink from the water's heat and the rag's abrading surface.

She pulled the stopper from the drain and allowed the water to begin to drain. Standing, she grabbed a fluffy white towel from the rack beside the bathtub and wrapped it around her body before stepping out of the water onto a thick maroon floor mat. Even through the material she could feel the chill emanating from the tile flooring. Her heart sank as she thought longingly of casting a warming charm on the floor.

There was a knock at the door. "Hermione?" came Ginny's voice, muffled through the thick oak.

"Yes, I'm here," Hermione replied, voice cracking from disuse – or, judging from her memories of the previous night, it could have been overuse.

"Where on Earth were you last night? We searched everywhere. You had us all worried sick," Ginny informed her reproachfully, reminding Hermione of Mrs. Weasley.

Hermione slipped out of the towel and began pulling on clothing. "I'll tell you later, Gin." And she would. There was no way she could keep this secret to herself. There had to be at least one other besides the two wrongdoers who knew of the deed, otherwise she would go insane.

"Right. Well, there's breakfast for you in the kitchen when you're finished."

"Thanks," Hermione said, pulling the t-shirt over her head. She glanced in the mirror at her hair. Ordinarily she would use magic to untangle and brush the mass, but obviously that was out of the question for her right now.

Sighing, she opened the door. "Ginny, could you help me out with this?" she asked, gesturing at her hair. "My wand is...out of commission right now," she admitted.

The redhead raised an eyebrow. "You ready to explain yet?"

Hermione shook her head, curls bouncing wildly. "Not yet. I don't want to be overheard."

Ginny's eyebrows rose higher, but she acquiesced to her friend's request.

"Thank you, Ginny," Hermione said gratefully. Her stomach rumbled audibly. "I'm going to go down to breakfast." She descended to the ground floor, where she made her way to the kitchen, Ginny following.

Harry and Ron sat at the long wooden table. A nearly empty plate of bacon sat in front of the latter. An indignant noise came from Ginny.

"Ronald Weasley, that was not meant for you!" she fussed. "I had that set aside for Hermione. You've already had your breakfast, you pig!"

The boy had the sense to redden. "Sorry, Hermione. I forgot." He offered her the few strips that remained on the plate.

"It's fine, really. Ginny, why don't you and I go out? I'll treat you to some coffee," Hermione offered.

"Sounds great," Ginny responded.

The two girls retreated from the kitchen and made their way down the hall to the front door. They stepped out onto the street and turned toward the Muggle business district.

**A/N: I am sooooo sorry this took so long! I had an enormously difficult time with this chapter, so if the writing isn't quite up to par, that's why... Sorry guys! **


	5. Ch4:And Life Goes On

**A/N: It's just occurred to me that I haven't yet put a disclaimer on this story... It's probably a good idea, so as not to get sued, so here you go: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the other characters that you recognize. I make no money from this story and am writing it all for my own (and hopefully yours as well) entertainment.**

Chapter 4

Hermione and Ginny pushed open the door and entered a small Muggle restaurant. An older woman with wispy yellow hair showed the girls to a cozy little booth in a mostly-abandoned corner of the room. The waitress handed Hermione a menu. Ginny shook her head at the menu offered to her.

"Just a coffee please," the redhead requested.

The woman reached into the apron tied around her blue uniformed waist, pulling from within a small notepad and a stub of a pencil. She flipped the page and scribbled something down, presumably Ginny's order of a coffee. "And what'll you be 'aving to drink, miss?"

"Milk please," Hermione replied politely.

The woman nodded her head, causing her wisps of hair to float around her face, rather reminiscent of Luna Lovegood. She scratched another something on the notepad and bustled away to another table.

While Hermione studied the menu, Ginny glanced around the little restaurant. The establishment was far from busy, its only other occupants reading the morning paper as they ate or just gazing into the distance, enveloped in a kind of half-conscious stupor. The whole place had a very domestic feel, as though if you walked back to the kitchen you might find your mother at the stove cheerily frying your eggs.

Eyes coming back to rest on her bushy-haired companion, Ginny cleared her throat. Hermione looked up from the menu nervously.

"What did you do?" Ginny asked bluntly.

A sigh. "Is it that obvious?"

Ginny nodded. "I don't know what happened, but I can tell it's something juicy."

"One of the juiciest, if you're into that sort of thing," Hermione admitted.

"I love juice. Spill."

The menu plopped onto the table with a _whoosh_ as Hermione dropped her face into her hands. "I slmm mm Smmp," came the muffled declaration.

"How very enlightening. Thanks," Ginny said sarcastically. "Head up and repeat."

Her head did not lift, but the fingers that covered her mouth spread apart. "I said... I slept with Snape."

The admission was met with laughter. "I'm serious, 'Mione. What'd you do?" When her companion made no response, Ginny's laughter died. She slammed her hands on the table. "Oh my God, you're really serious!"

"As an Unforgivable," Hermione agreed.

"When you say 'slept with,' you don't mean...?"

The brunette looked up from the table and into the face of her friend with a desperate look in her eye. "Yes, okay? I had sex with Snape last night! That's why I never came back to the room!"

Ginny was stunned nearly into silence. "But...how?"

Hermione gave her a withering look. "Really, Ginny, I felt sure that you knew how all this worked."

"Very funny, Hermione."

The waitress reappeared at the end of their booth with their drinks. After setting them down in front of their respective orderers, she asked, "Ready to order?"

Hermione nodded and passed the menu into the outstretched hand waiting for it. "I'll have a Sunny Day Breakfast, please."

The wisps of yellow hair floated around the thin face again as the woman nodded her head. "It'll be just a few moments." She hurried to the kitchen, leaving an uncomfortable silence between the girls.

Staring down at the table, Hermione said in a small voice, "We were drunk..."

Ginny's eyebrows rose; her friend was not normally a drinker. "_Why_ were you drunk?"

Hermione explained about Snape stumbling around the night before and how she had helped him back up to his room. "He was completely sloshed. I made him sit down, but what I didn't know until it was too late was that I'd just made him sit on my wand. It snapped..."

"So you drank it off," Ginny finished.

Hermione nodded. "He handed me the bottle and that was the end of it. I don't remember much else after that."

Ginny let out a deep breath. "God, Hermione, you have the most awful luck."  
"Luck?" the brunette scoffed. "Luck had nothing to do with anything. I was stupid and irresponsible. Everything, all of it, was my own damn fault."

"Hermione Granger, don't you dare think that! This was not your fault! If anyone is to blame, it's bloody Snape!"

"I was not raped, Ginny. It isn't his fault. I'm the one who forgot my wand in his room. I helped him upstairs. I made him sit despite his protests. I took the bottle and got myself toasted."

"You wouldn't have forgotten your wand if he hadn't scared the living shit out of you. He's the one who got drunk and stumbled around the house. He's the one who snapped your wand. He gave you the bottle and then took advantage of your inebriation," Ginny countered.

Hermione put her head in her hands. "I feel so dirty," she said dejectedly, "no better than a common whore."

"You are _not_ a whore," Ginny reprimanded her friend fiercely. "You made a stupid, drunken mistake."

To Hermione's utmost horror, tears began to prick at her eyes. "God, I'm such a mess," she exclaimed, sniffling lightly. Embarrassed, she wiped at the few tears hat had escaped the corners of her eyes.

"And you have every right to be."

"I don't even know what to do now," Hermione admitted. "It's as if this one event knocked my feet from under me. I feel lost."

"You keep on going. Don't pretend it never happened, but put it behind you. The lost feeling will fade after a while. Life goes on. This isn't the end of the world, though I'm sure it feels that way to you now."

Hermione sniffled and gave her friend a tight smile. "You ought to be a shrink, Ginny. You always know the right thing to say."

She grinned. "I get it from Mum. She's the same way."

The waitress returned to the table, this time bearing a tray loaded down with Hermione's breakfast and a refill of coffee for Ginny. Hermione flashed the waitress a smile and a "thank you" and began unwrapping her silverware. Ginny sipped quietly from her mug as Hermione dug into her breakfast of a miniature mountain of toast, two small links of sausage, and a single egg – sunny-side up.

oOo

Severus sighed and ran a hand over his face tiredly. He could not get that damned girl out of his head. She had been invading his thoughts all day long. Not a single hour had passed that snippets of memory from the night before had not appeared in his minds eye – tempting little views of what they had done. The things she had done to him... Oh, God, the things she had done... He had his suspicions now of the things she'd spent her time doing up in that Gryffindor tower of hers. From what he remembered of the night, she had been one hell of a ride.

Every time thoughts of her presented themselves in his mind, he had to remind himself that he was nearly twenty years older, had to remind himself that he had spent the last seven years – eight, if he was counting the intermission between her sixth and seventh years – as her professor.

Every time he reminded himself of this, he remembered waking up to find her naked in his bed. She had been snuggled against him, her back firmly to his chest. His arms had been tenderly wrapped around her prone form. During the night, the blankets had slipped down from her bare breasts. She had been glorious in her nakedness, her creamy white skin contrasting starkly against his own ghostly pallor, her wild mane of hair spread across the pillow. A bit of it had tickled his nose as he breathed and he had had to fight the urge to sneeze, fearing to break the spell of her slumber.

But enough, he reminded himself. Thinking in such a way of a girl nineteen full years younger than oneself was best reserved for stalkers and perverted old men, of which Severus Snape was neither.

He jumped, startled out of his thoughts as a late-night owl tapped at his window. The window was enchanted, of course, as his rooms were located in the dungeons, thus rendering his magnificent view of the black lake impossible by any other means. He crossed the room to the window and pulled it open, allowing the large tawny barn owl to swoop into the room. It dropped its burden – a single folded slip of parchment – onto the floor and exited the way it had entered.

"At least the bloody bird didn't wait around for a reply," Severus mumbled to himself as he bent to pick up the letter from the floor.

He scowled as he recognized the handwriting that depicted his own name on the front of the note. The She-Weasel. He unfolded the note with a groan and scanned the contents briefly before storming to the empty grate. He waved his hand at the wood piled there and tossed the letter into the flames that roared into life.

Had anyone else been present in the room as the parchment burned, they would have been able to make out the following:

"Snape, you bloody bastard! How typical of you to be such an inconsiderate son of a bitch! You get her drunk, take her virginity, and then leave without a word! She is absolutely beside herself with self-disgust, you..."

The rest of the words were too blackened to be legible. Within moments, there was nothing left of the parchment but a bit of warm ash at the bottom of the fireplace.

Severus Snape was left staring morosely at the flames licking at the wood behind the grate, feeling ice-cold despite the fire.

**A/N: I'm really sorry about the delay! I know y'all don't want to hear excuses, but here I go anyway. It's been a very bad month or so for me... I'm finishing up my last few weeks of high school now, so that's a load of stress on me. My dad just lost his job, another load of stress. My parents are seriously considering divorce, yet another source of stress. On top of all this, my fiancé and I have been going through a rather rough patch. In case you're interested, yes we got through it and are doing fine. He is amazing. :) **

**Now that I'm done unloading on all of you, I'd just like to inform you that the next chapter should come quicker now that the new plot line is taking a more solid shape in my head. Please, please, please review! I had a ton of readers add my story to their story alert list, favorite story list, and favorite author list, but left no review. :O Please review! It lets me know what I'm doing wrong and what I'm doing right!**

**Thanks guys, I love y'all!**


	6. Ch5:Leave Well Enough Alone

**Chapter 5**

"Miss Granger, it is my understanding that you are concerned about the events of the night before last. I will be staying a night at Grimmauld Place while on business in a month's time. If at that time you have any comments or, God forbid, questions, you may present them to me. -Professor Snape"

Hermione had a few ideas of how Snape might have gotten this "understanding" of her concerns, and they all involved a certain red-haired rascal. But Hermione would deal with her later.

The gist of the letter was quite plain: "You may pester me for a few moments next month, but before then leave me well enough alone." That was exactly what she intended to do. She wasn't even sure she wanted to talk to him while he was there. She threw the parchment into the fire crackling quietly in the fireplace of the library and went in search of Ginny.

oOo

Hermione sat in her favorite armchair in the library, her knees pulled up to her chest. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her knees and she stared blankly into empty space. Her heart raced nearly as quickly as her sharp mind. Her breath came short and shallow.

Over the last month, Hermione had begun to notice things. They were little things at first. She had thought that perhaps she was sick. But no. They kept coming, little thing on top of little thing, stacking up to make something big. Huge. Life-changing.

It had started just a week or so after the arrival of Snape's letter. She had descended the stairs late that morning. Her sleep had been restless the night before, the result of indigestion and a perpetually full bladder.

There were just two eggs left in the Muggle refrigerator that she and Harry had insisted be installed. She had scrambled them quickly in the old iron skillet and eaten them straight from the pan. A half hour later, she was hunched over the toilet as the eggs made a reappearance. At the time it had made sense to her that they must have been just a bit too old – they were the last ones in the carton after all.

And then there was the month's suspicious lack of Mother Nature's monthly gift to womankind. She failed to cramp and then she failed to bleed. It had been at this point that she began to feel more than physically ill – her write-off of the eggs merely being old failed her as the sickness continued at unpredictable intervals. The occasional story she'd overheard hysterical girls relating in Hogwarts' hallways flew to mind.

Dragging a hand over her face with a sigh, Hermione uncurled herself from her fetal position in the armchair. One hand dropped to her abdomen, specifically to the space resting securely between her hip bones. It was a protected cushion, one of the few places on Earth that was safe from the difficult world outside. Sighing once more, she dropped her hand and headed up to bed.

oOo

Hermione awoke with a groan to an uncharacteristically chipper red-head bouncing on her. "Ginny, go away," she grumbled, rolling over and pulling the blanket over her head.

"Wake up! It's my birthday!"

Hermione answered with a grunt.

"Hermione!"

"Go wake up Harry," she moaned.

Ginny sighed in exasperation. "He's already awake. We...actually went to get you something this morning," she admitted hesitantly. Her cheerful mood had evaporated instantly when this had come to mind.

Knowing that a return to her wonderful cocoon of slumber was beyond her reaching, Hermione sat up and brushed a hand tiredly over her face. "You shouldn't have. It's your birthday. Whatever it is, I'm sure I could have gotten myself later." A pause. "What is it?"  
"Um..." Ginny said. She actually looked a bit ridiculous as she sat on her haunches, legs bent around on either side of her, scratching the back of her head awkwardly. "I heard you talking in your sleep..."

Hermione colored abruptly. She had been dreaming of Snape chasing her round Hogwarts' dungeons with a baby's pram. "You didn't get...?"

"A pregnancy test, yes," Ginny confirmed.

Hermione's blush deepened. "What did Harry think?"

"Well, I didn't tell him why you needed it-"

"I would have thought it would be obvious," Hermione cut in.

Ginny gave her a trademark withering look. "He asked who you'd slept with. I told him I was sworn to secrecy. He seemed like he wanted to pry, but I shut him up. I rather think he suspects it to be Ron."

Hermione hung her head. "I feel like such an idiot. At least Harry doesn't know who it really was."

"Right," Ginny agreed. "Now, whenever you're ready to take it, here." She got up from her awkward position on the bed and crossed the room to a small white bag beside her own bed. Hermione stretched, let out a wide yawn, and followed.

Out of the bag came a cylindrical white box with a pink border across the top and bottom. The front of the box depicted a smiling woman, while the back of the box held a labeled diagram of the test. "The most modern piece of technology in the field," it proclaimed itself.

Steeling herself, Hermione took the box from Ginny's hands, entered the bathroom, and shut the door behind her.

oOo

"So," Ron demanded, arms folded, as Harry reentered their room, "where were you off to this morning with my sister?"

Harry shut the door behind himself. "Ginny was worried about Hermione. We went to the drug store down the street to get something," he reddened at the word _something_, "for her."

Ron's hard expression melted at the mention of his sister being worried about Hermione. "What's wrong with her?"  
If Harry's assumptions were correct – and he was very nearly certain that they were – Ron had a right to know. "Apparently she's been talking in her sleep about things."

"Like what?"

"Well... Ginny wouldn't say specifically what Hermione has been saying, but I think I got the gist of what it is from the item we bought her. Look Ron, Ginny bought her a home pregnancy test." He waited for a reaction.

Ron paled. "...A p-pregnancy test?"

Harry nodded and put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I'm sure it'll be alright, mate."

His shock wearing off, color rushed into the red-head's face. "What the bloody hell would she need a bloody pregnancy test for?"

Harry frowned. "You did use condoms, didn't you?"

Ron ripped his shoulder from Harry's grip. "What the bloody hell are you talking about?" he demanded.

It was Harry's turn to pale. "You mean...it wasn't you?"

"No! I don't know who the bloody hell she had bloody sex with, but it sure as _fuck_ wasn't me!

"Oh God." Harry found the weight of his mistake crashing down on him as Ron yelled furiously.

"I can't believe she'd do this to me! That traitorous whore," he spat venomously.

"Ron! Hermione is my friend! And yours too if you care to remember. Don't talk about her like that! Just because she didn't care to shag you." Ron reddened. "Now if you're quite finished, I'm going to check on her. You ought to come."

Ron struggled with himself for a moment. Part of him felt angry and betrayed by her. That part of him whispered that she deserved what she'd got. But another part of him urged him to remember the war. You never knew when someone you loved would be ripped from you. This part of him urged him to master his anger and go to her. He could help to comfort her.

Sighing, Ron sagged and nodded his head. "I'll go with you."

**A/N: Whoo, it looks like Ron might finally be growing up! This chapter feels a bit choppy and poorly written to me, but it's the best I could do... Sorry guys if it's disappointing!**

**A thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter! Reviews make my world go round. You should make me motion sick this chapter ;) **


	7. Ch6:We?

**Chapter 6**

Ginny's birthday dinner was hardly a quiet family affair, although, had the party been excluded to her family, the affair still would not have been quiet – she was a Weasley, after all. The entire D.A. had shown up for the occasion, as had a few older Gryffindors and – to Hermione's surprise – Professor McGonagall.

"Professor!" Hermione exclaimed.

The woman turned with a smile. "Call me Minerva, dear. You are no longer my student."

Hermione blushed and nodded. "Of course. Are any of the other teachers coming?"

"Unfortunately, none of the others are attending the dinner," Minerva replied. "Severus will be staying for the night, but you know Professor Snape. I doubt he will be making an appearance."

Hermione's stomach dropped to her toes. She had to face him. Tonight. There was no choice. Not to face him would be an act of cowardice and would be unfair to the both of them.

"Miss Granger, are you alright?" Minerva asked worriedly. The girl's face had suddenly drained of color.

"Oh, yes," Hermione answered quickly. "I've just remembered something that I have to do tonight. If you'll excuse me." She ducked away from her old teacher and weaved her way to Ginny. Grabbing her arm, she hissed into the red-head's ear, "He's coming tonight."

The girl nodded.

By the time the meal began, there had been no sign of him. As hard as Hermione tried to pay attention to the conversation around her, she continually found herself losing track of herself as her ears strained instead to hear the opening of the front door. Midway through the meal, her ears picked up just that sound. Her eyes darted to Ginny, who, it seemed, had also heard the door. Ginny nodded across the room to Hermione, who mouthed her thanks.

Slipping out of the crowded kitchen, Hermione glanced around her, her eyes just catching the swishing of a dark cloak as it disappeared around a corner. She hurried toward him. "Professor Snape," she called.

Severus heard her voice and sighed. "God, not already," he muttered. He continued walking, assuming that she would follow. "Miss Granger," he replied curtly, loud enough for her to hear.

She caught up to him as he began ascending the stairs. "Sir, I need to speak with you," she said, catching hold of his arm.

He turned round to face her. It was the first time he had seen her conscious since... Well, since he'd been on top of her. Despite the fearfully nervous expression on her face, she appeared to be doing well. She positively radiated an aura. An aura of what though, he could not say.

"Miss Granger, I have had a very long evening already. I wish to go to my quarters and rest. Your interrogation can wait until morning." He pulled his arm from her grasp and continued up the stairs. After a few steps, he realized irritatedly that the blasted girl was still following him. He whirled. "Perhaps I did not make my meaning clear enough," he hissed. "Go away."

Her courage quivered under his glare, but she looked him evenly in the eye. "On the contrary. You made yourself very clear. I, however, intend to speak to you tonight."

He scowled and opened his mouth.

Hermione cut him off. "I can assure you that you want to hear what I have to say, and that you want to hear it promptly."

"Well then, Granger, let's have it. Promptly. Out with it," he snapped.

She hesitated, glancing around. "Not here." She pushed past him and led the way upstairs to his bedroom.

Snape pulled a key from the pocket of his robes and unlocked the door. He stepped inside and waited for her to follow. The door shut behind them, leaving them encased in near total darkness. With a muttered spell, two silver blue orbs launched from the tip of Snape's wand and hovered near the ceiling.

After setting his trunk down beside the bed, he demanded, "What is so dire that it cannot wait until tomorrow?"

Hermione stood nervously, wringing her hands. "Well...you see, sir..." Now that the moment to tell him had arrived, she had no idea how to say it.

"Very articulate," he sneered, then barked, "Out with it!"

"It's about...well, it's about what happened last month...between us," she said, blushing so scarlet as to appear almost Weasley-esque.

"I fail to see why such a subject must be discussed right at this moment. Get out of my room, Granger." He turned his back on her and crossed the room to the lavatory. She could no longer see him, but she could hear water running. Obviously he expected her to obey his order.

Gathering her courage, she said to the empty room, "You're going to be a father."

The water continued to run and he did not reappear. She turned to leave. Her hand was on the doorknob when she heard him in the doorway of the bathroom.

"What did you say?" he hissed.

Hermione whirled to face him. He looked awful. His normally sallow skin was almost blue and his eyes had taken on a panicked look. He clung to the door frame for support. "You're going to be a father," she repeated. "I'm...pregnant."

He released the door frame and walked woodenly to the chair beside his desk. He dropped heavily into it. "You're sure?"

She nodded. "I took a Muggle home-test this morning."

"No, you stupid girl," he snapped, "are you sure that it's _mine_?"

Hermione pursed her lips. "Yes."

"It couldn't be Weasley's could it? Never trust a Gryffindor to be responsible," he muttered.

"I am not a common whore," Hermione spat. "You took my virginity, _Professor_." Oh, how horribly wrong that sentence was... "And if I might remind you, sir, you could hardly be called responsible either," she said acidly.

"I was drunk," he snapped.

"And so was I, if you recall. That was another first experience of mine that you've claimed. I've never given a blowjob, have you decided to steal that one too?" she asked derisively.

"You will not mock me, Granger," he hissed furiously.

"Or what? Are you going to hit me? _Crucio_ your unborn child?" Hermione demanded. She had no idea why she was baiting him. She knew it was a bad idea.

He stood abruptly, towering over her. "Get out." His tone was black, his eyes glittering with anger.

Hermione glared at him. "I will not be thrown out," she growled.

If she weren't carrying his child – oh, Merlin, his child – he might have physically thrown her out. Instead, he whirled around and paced toward his desk.

She watched him walk away from her, staring contemplatively at the back of his black robes. Her anger was dissipating as quickly as it had arrived. Thanks to the hormones swamping her system, no doubt. Men weren't the only ones irritated by the hormone-induced pregnancy madness.

Abruptly, the man's voice barked out, "Just what do you plan to do with this child?"

The question surprised her. She really wasn't sure where his line of thought was leading. "I'm not sure what you mean," she admitted.

"Do you intend to give birth to the child?" he snapped.

Hermione's mouth fell open in shock. Severus turned around and caught sight of her gaping at him. He sneered at her expression. "Of course I'm going to give birth to my baby! Abortion has never been and will never be an option!"

"It isn't a puppy, Granger. You have no idea what a child entails, what you would be getting yourself into," he said coldly.

"And you do?" she retorted. His face contorted, but she cut him off before he could lash out at her again. "I don't know if I'll keep the baby afterward, but there is no way on this green earth that I am going to kill an innocent baby. There has been more than enough death as of late. I will not have a hand in it." Her voice was firm and she set him with her stern gaze.

As much as he hated to admit it, it was a very mature response. "I think," he said slowly, "that we should keep the child."

Her eyebrows shot up. "We?"

"Yes," he said curtly. "I do not care for the idea of an infant being separated from its mother. As you have pointed out, there are far too many orphans already. As for me...I will not leave you to fend for yourselves. As..._disagreeable_...as I find this whole situation, I will take responsibility for my actions and support the both of you, should you desire it."

Hermione was speechless. Severus Snape, bat of the dungeons and git of the century, was an honorable man after all. Who knew? She nodded mutely.

oOo

"Where's Hermione?" Ron asked suddenly, realizing that she was no longer at the table. He didn't know how long she had been missing; he hadn't seen her leave.

"She had some things she needed to take care of," Ginny answered vaguely. She hoped it was going alright and that Hermione wasn't allowing Snape to bully her. The thought of Hermione carrying their potions professor's child still shocked her. The thought of Hermione carrying _anyone's_ child shocked her. The fact that it was half Snape's only magnified her horror.

Ron frowned. "She couldn't have taken care of it later?" he griped. "It's your birthday, Gin. Aren't you upset that she's not here?" He was still upset and hurt by the revelation that morning. He had always assumed that he and Hermione would get married and that he would be the one to take her virginity. Apparently she had had other plans.

"No," Ginny corrected him. "This is something she needed to do as soon as possible. It's important."

Ron looked like he wanted to argue further, but Harry put a hand on his shoulder. "If Ginny says it's important and she doesn't mind, then that's good enough for us. Right, Ron?"

Reluctantly, the redhead nodded along.

**A/N: Oh my gosh guys, I'm so sorry! I really haven't meant to be away for so long! I guess that's just the way it goes... But on the bright side, I am now an official high school graduate! Senior year is over baby! I wish I could say it means I'll have more time to write, but unfortunately the end of senior year means the beginning of a full-time job, and then in a few more months the beginning of yet another freshman year... Seriously though, I'll try not to go so long without an update again! I love all you readers! :)**


	8. Ch7:Someone to Cry On

**Chapter 7**

**A/N: There is some rated M content in this chapter. Not too bad, by any means, but definitely not for young eyes. You have been warned, so please don't be mad at me.**

Hermione could feel the guests' eyes on her as she returned to her place at the table. Lowering herself into her chair, she glanced toward Ginny. The red-head had fixed her with a questioning stare. Hermione flashed her friend a grim smile and gave her a quick thumbs up sign before turning her eyes to the witch beside her.

"Professor?"

The older woman turned immediately to her. "Minerva," she reminded the brunette.

Hermione gave her a small smile before continuing nervously, "Er, Professor Snape would like to have a word with you after dinner. I'd be glad to show you up to his quarters."

Minerva frowned. "I spoke with the man not four hours ago."

"Perhaps he only just remembered," Hermione offered.

"Very well," the professor said, nodding.

Hermione let out a deep breath, wishing fervently that that were the hard part. She sighed again and cast a warming charm on her now-cold dinner.

oOo

Hermione knocked twice on the door and glanced sideways at Minerva. The woman was watching her with a puzzled expression, no doubt wondering why she hadn't just pointed out the room and left. She took a deep breath, hoping to calm herself.

The door opened and Severus took in the sight of Hermione standing there without comment. His gaze shifted to the woman standing slightly behind the mother of his child. "Minerva," he greeted with a nod of his head.

"Severus," she returned. She moved past Hermione and Severus stepped aside to grant her entry. Hermione followed. "Really, Miss Granger, I have found where I needed to be. You may return to the festivities."

"No, Minerva," Snape drawled, "she is very much involved in the matter I wish to discuss with you." He shut the door and indicated for the older witch to have a seat in the chair beside the desk. It was odd for Hermione to see her transfiguration professor seated in an old Muggle rolling chair. Hermione situated herself on the edge of Severus's bed, conscious of the woman's gaze on her, while the man himself remained standing. No doubt so that he could pace across the room through the conversation.

"What is going on?" the elder witch asked.

"Miss Granger has applied for an internship at St. Mungo's," Severus began. "We both know that she will be accepted."

Both women stared at him in shock.

"Did you just..._compliment_ me?" Hermione breathed.

Severus scowled. "I merely told the truth to better explain the situation," he corrected sternly. She did not answer, but still gazed at him in awe. "My point, Minerva, was that I wish to know if it would be possible for her to train under Poppy."

Hermione paused in her staring at Severus to watch Minerva anxiously.

Minerva blinked in confusion. "I am sure that it would be allowed, but I fail to see a reason for it."

Severus hesitated and glanced toward Hermione. This was where it would get sticky. Hermione took over for him, but her words did little to break the news gently. "We were both drunk, Professor."

Her words sank in and Severus was almost amused by the array of colors that graced Minerva's complexion. Almost. She turned on him.

"Severus Snape!" she screeched. "Tell me she is not pregnant! And you had better not be lying!"

"I assure you Minerva, this would never have been brought to your attention if it were a lie," he said coolly.

"She's just a child! How could you let this happen?"

Severus looked at Hermione, who was blushing and on the verge of tears. "Hardly. No one knows better than I that she is not a child." When he had awoken that morning to find her in his arms, he had done his best to preserve her modesty, but had not been entirely successful when the blanket had slid down from her bare shoulder, revealing breasts that were just as bare; breasts that certainly did not belong to a child. He blushed, pushing the image from his mind, and looked away from her.

Hermione noticed the color rush to his face and was immediately mortified. So he _had_ seen more than her face that morning! She wanted to hide in shame.

Severus cleared his throat and continued. "As for how we let this happen, it has already been revealed that we were both very drunk. Need I remind you of your little incidence with Filch last Christmas?"

Hermione stared in shock as the stern school mistress's face paled.

"Yes, Severus, I see your point. No need to relive old memories." She paused, then shuddered minutely before moving on. "I will talk to Poppy about Miss Granger interning with her. I would assume that this means that a guest room will need to be added to your chambers? Unless...?" She raised her eyebrows in question.

Severus shook his head quickly. "A guest room will be needed, Minerva."

The woman looked relieved. "I shall begin as soon as I arrive back at the castle." She turned to Hermione. "You are sure about this?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. I can not do this alone, and Severus, I am sure, will make a better father than you seem to expect." It was the first time his given name had fallen from her lips. It sounded strange coming from her mouth, but she supposed if they were going to raise a child together, she couldn't expect to continue calling him 'professor.'

Minerva blushed. "I had not meant it in that way. You are just so young," she clarified with a sigh. "And you are positive that you are really with child?"

"I used a Muggle test this morning, but if there is a spell that would be more accurate...?"

"Of course," Minerva said crisply, nodding. She raised her wand. "If I may?"

Hermione nodded. The teacher waved her wand in a complicated pattern while she muttered the incantation. After a moment or two, the air around Hermione began to glow blue. Minerva exhaled and nodded.

"You are indeed pregnant."

She didn't know why it hit her so hard then. It wasn't as though it was a shock. She had known since that morning, and had suspicions for longer than that. She suddenly felt as though her stomach had dropped into her feet. With the Muggle test, there had always been the chance of it being wrong. That the spell had confirmed it, however, left no room for doubt. Her life was going to be different forever. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, but she pushed them aside to offer Minerva a small smile. "Thank you."

The woman nodded. "Well," she said, back to business, "I should be returning to the school. I shall begin on the modifications to your chambers at once and owl you with Poppy's reply. Severus, I believe it would be best if you were to remain here until the start of term."

He was uncharacteristically devoid of protest as he inclined his head toward her in acquiescence. She was correct, of course. It was best that he remain here and get to know the woman who was going to raise his child.

"I will see you – both of you, I should hope – next month." With that, she turned and strode quickly from the room.

As soon as the door clicked shut behind her, Hermione's tears broke loose and began to slide down her cheeks. A small sob ripped itself unconsciously from her chest. She raised her hands immediately to cover her mouth. Snape turned slowly to face the sound. Her shoulders began to shake with the suppressed sobs that increasingly demanded to be let free. She crawled into the middle of the bed and curled into a ball. She sniffled desperately in an attempt to rid herself of the sobs. She knew he was still in the room. She could feel him watching her.

The bed squeaked and dipped as he joined her on it. He put a hand on her shoulder and said softly, "It isn't healthy to hold it in." She was shocked by how gentle his voice was, how soothing the hand on her shoulder could be.

She continued to resist. She couldn't let him see her like that. She had to be strong. She had to...

Her thoughts were cut short as strong hands pulled her firmly onto his lap. She looked up at him sharply. He did not smile at her, but neither did he frown, or scowl, or sneer, or any of the other expressions that normally graced his features.

"Sometimes," he explained, "it's good to have someone to cry on."

Hermione threw her arms around his neck and sobbed the way she had yet to sob over the news. He held her tightly to him the way no one ever had for him and let her cry. And if he shed a tear or two himself, she was never the wiser.

oOo

When her tears began to run dry and her sobs slowed, she wiped her face on her sleeves in embarrassment. "Thank you," she whispered.

He nodded mutely.

She shifted nervously.

A low moan escaped him and she stared at him. His eyes widened in embarrassment. "Sorry," he muttered as his cheeks colored.

A wave of Gryffindor daring overtook her in that moment. She ground her bottom into his lap. He groaned in pleasure and grabbed her hips.

"Stop that," he growled, pushing her off of him.

Hermione blushed deeply. "Oh, Merlin, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to... I mean..." She trailed off as she caught sight of his hungry gaze.

Severus remembered all too well what it was like to have the pretty young witch naked in his bed. Was it really such a crime to want to have her there again? He crawled toward her. Putting a hand on her shoulder, he pushed her flat on the bed. He swung a leg over her, straddling her prone form. As she stared up at him, he leaned forward and captured her mouth with his own.

She was unresponsive for a moment, then attacked his lips with fervor. His thin lips were warm, but not hot; the perfect blend. He caressed her mouth one moment, and in the next he claimed it almost violently. A tendril of flame shot down her body when his tongue traced her lower lip. She moaned into him, allowing him entry. Her tongue met his and they danced together, fighting for dominance. She submitted to him and allowed his tongue to sweep along the roof of her mouth, exploring her, before she did the same to him. As they finally parted, she panted for breath, staring up at him on top of her.

Blood pounded in the region between her legs. Her body _craved_ him. Its demands were persistent and increasingly difficult to ignore.

He slid his hands inside her shirt. She gasped as his hands met bare skin. He gazed at her questioningly. She nodded ever so slightly and closed her eyes as his hands trailed upward. His hands traveled agonizingly, tantalizingly slowly. She groaned with need and he chuckled softly, not increasing his pace. Finally his fingers came in contact with the fabric of her bra. With a quick glance at her face, he slipped deftly underneath. She gasped again as her eyes popped open. His hands slid up the swell of her breast, grazing her nipples with a moan from them both, and cupped her in his hands.

"God, Severus," she breathed.

Her voice shattered the spell. Suddenly he remembered that she had been his student. He remembered that she was the best friend of Harry Potter. He remembered that he didn't want this.

He snatched his hands back and launched himself away from her. He backed away from the bed, staring. He could hardly believe what he had nearly done.

She sat up, a concerned look on her face. "What...? Did I do something wrong?" she asked softly.

"Get out of my room, Granger," he snapped.

She blinked. "I don't understand."

"Get out!" he roared suddenly.

She leaped from the bed and hurried to the door. With one last look back at him, she left him to himself.

**A/N: There you go. One of the longer chapters that I've written. A bit more M for those of you who wanted it. I know Severus was a good bit out of character in a lot of that, but I just couldn't help it, so there! Let me know what you think! The best way to do that is with that handy dandy little button below. Review please!**


	9. Ch8:Happy Ever After

**Chapter 8**

Hermione fled downstairs to the safety of the library. Shutting the door behind her, she collapsed onto the couch with a groan. Hormones were still flooding her system. Sighing, she put her head in her hands and took deep breaths, urging her body to calm down.

Despite her body's adamant protests, she knew that it was for the best that he had thrown her out of his room. If they had gone any further, she knew they would both have regretted it. She already regretted it! She couldn't believe she had let herself get so carried away. It was unacceptable. It could not be allowed to happen again.

As her pulse returned slowly to normal, she looked up from her hands at the dark room. Until that moment, she had scarcely noticed the decidedly glum lack of light. She retrieved her new wand – willow, eleven and a quarter inches, griffin feather core – and swished it in the direction of the grate. Instantly a fire began crackling merrily, throwing the library into sudden illumination.

Hermione sighed as she glanced around at all the familiar books on the shelf-lined walls. Why couldn't her life be like the characters in those books? None of them ever got drunk and impregnated by their horrible ex-professors. They all had their fairytale stories ended with a happy ever after. Somehow she didn't think there would be a happy ever after for her. A life with Severus Snape may not have been unbearable, but it certainly would never be characterized as a happy ever after. Not for the first time, she wondered how she had gotten herself into this.

The door was pushed open and she looked toward it in surprise, not having expected to be disturbed. Ronald Weasley stepped into the doorway.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked.

Hermione shook her head and gave him the best smile she could muster. It wasn't much. "Of course not," she lied. "Come in."

She turned back toward the fire as he shut the door and walked around to sit beside her. Silence hung awkwardly between them. Hermione very much did not want to talk to anyone right now, let alone him. He wanted more from her than she could give him and she wasn't sure that she could handle that just then.

"So..." he said slowly, twiddling his thumbs in his lap. "Where did you go at dinner?"

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again. She should have known that he wouldn't beat around the bush. "I... had some things I needed to take care of," she said ambiguously.

"Things that couldn't have been taken care of before or after my sister's birthday celebration?" he asked, almost accusingly.

Hermione felt an abrupt stab of guilt. She had missed a large portion of Ginny's dinner and had failed to pay attention throughout the rest of it. But Ginny had told her it was alright... These were special circumstances and Ginny had assured Hermione that she understood, but still. Hermione would have to be sure to make it up to her friend somehow.

"I felt that it was best to get this particular task done as soon as possible. That happened to be the first time it became possible," she defended.

Ron raised an eyebrow. "Seems like odd timing. What did you have to do?"

She was beginning to grow impatient of his nosiness. "I don't see how it's any of your business," she snapped.

"Come on 'Mione. Just tell me. Did it have to do with... you know?" He gestured awkwardly toward her stomach.

Hermione wrapped her arms protectively around her belly and glared at him. "Yes, as a matter of fact, it was about my baby."

Ron scowled. "I still can't believe you're pregnant."

"And I still can't believe you're taking it as a personal insult that I am!" she retorted.

"Well it is, isn't it? You know damn well how I feel about you!"

"And you know damn well that I don't feel the same about you!" She got to her feet.

"Wait, don't leave," he protested. "I didn't mean to make you mad at me."

"Well whether you meant to or not, you did," she spat as she headed to the door.

"Please, I didn't-"

Shoving the door open, she looked back at him. "You wanted to know where I went during dinner? I went to have a chat with Professor Snape. I thought he'd like to know he's going to be a father."

She didn't fail to see the slack-jawed expression of shock on the boy's face as she swung the door shut in her wake.

oOo

Hermione sought out Harry next. Predictably, he was with Ginny in the kitchen. Ginny sat at the table with her feet propped up and a smirk on her face as she watched her boyfriend clean up from dinner.

"Professor Snape will be staying here for the remainder of the summer holidays," she announced.

Ginny looked at her in mild surprise while Harry's mouth dropped open. "I assume that all went well then?"

Hermione dropped into a chair and rested her elbows on the table, her head in turn resting in her hands. She shrugged. "He took it well enough, I suppose. We talked to Professor McGonagall – Minerva," she corrected herself with a grimace. She hesitated then. "I'm returning to Hogwarts with him." She braced herself for their outbursts and looked up from the table.

Harry was gawking at her stupidly, while Ginny's face was quickly turning red.

"What about your internship?" Ginny demanded angrily. "Is that bloody bastard going to force you to give up your future?"

"Snape?" Harry burst out. "You got pregnant by _Snape_?"

Hermione blushed. "We were very drunk, I assure you." Harry looked anything but reassured. "We came to this decision together, Ginny. He isn't forcing me to do anything. And as for my internship, I will be carrying it out under Madam Pomfrey. But that's if I even get accepted!"

"So let me get this straight," Harry said slowly, looking between the two girls. "You got drunk, slept with Snape, got pregnant, and now you're skipping happily off to live with him?"

"Aside from the skipping happily, yes."

"Bloody hell," he said wearily, abandoning the only partially washed dishes in favor of sinking into a chair of his own.

"Why in the name of Merlin's beard are you going to Hogwarts with him?" Ginny asked, perplexed.

"Well I can't very well raise this baby on my own!" Hermione protested.

"Snape's spawn or not, we could help," Ron said quietly from the doorway. Hermione spun around to stare at him in open disbelief. He'd obviously been standing there long enough to have gotten a grasp on the situation. "Don't look at me like that. I'm not a total git, you know. We're your best mates."

"You all have lives," she explained softly. "Children are a huge responsibility. My baby shouldn't have to be your responsibility. She's mine and as much as I'm sure we all hate it, she's Severus's. He's offered us support and a place to live. And after all, I can't very well keep him from his own child."

"We _want_ to help you," Ginny told her. "We know you better than _he_ does. How could he be here for you at a time like this? You need your friends – your _family_."

Hermione gave her friend a sad smile. "I love you, Ginny. I love all of you." She couldn't help but see the shiver that passed through Ron at those words. "You have been my family for years. But this," she placed her hands gently on her flat stomach, "this is the beginning of my _own_ family. I'm going to be a mother soon and as much as you all want to, we can't change the fact that he _needs _to be there for me and for this child. Not only for us, but for himself. He _needs_ to be a father. And I need him to be one." She looked around at them watching her intently. "Thank you for caring about me, but my decision is already made," she said firmly.

There was silence in the kitchen as Hermione stared at the table and the rest of them stared at Hermione. They all knew that everything was about to change for good, and not necessarily for the better. Hermione was going to need all of their support now and in the coming months more than ever before. They all knew that they'd do whatever it took to get her through it. Even if it meant allowing her to leave them. If it meant allowing her to tie herself to a bitter, sour man nearly twenty years her senior.

**A/N: Huh. Not sure how I like this chapter. It's short, I know. But at least it's here! A quick(er) update! Hooray! Now you definitely know that you want to give me a good review. And by good review, I mean a fabulous review. Because you love me and want to inspire me to write a good next chapter. Right? Just nod and smile people, just nod and smile. Or better yet, review! ;)**


	10. Ch9:A Threat, Weasley?

**Chapter 9**

**A/N: I do not own Harry Potter, nor do I own Pride and Prejudice. If I claimed to, you wouldn't believe me anyway. **

Severus took the note from the owl's beak and quickly unfolded it. As he read, he stroked his owl Apollos absently. The great salt-and-pepper colored bird snapped his beak in appreciation of the attention. With a curt nod to himself, he pocketed the scrap of parchment and went in search of Hermione.

He didn't have to look far. He found her in the library on the couch between Weasley and Potter. He scowled at the sight of her back against Potter and his arms around her. Her toes were tucked beneath Weasley's legs. The three of them looked up when he entered. The boys' expressions immediately turned to glares and Harry's hands went to cover Hermione's belly protectively, but Hermione offered him a tentative smile. He did not return the smile, but he did allow the scowl to drop from his face and inclined his head at her ever so slightly.

"Miss Granger, I need to have a word with you."

Hermione looked down at her hands in her lap. "They already know," she informed him softly.

He glanced at the two boys on either side of her. Though heaven only knew how it was possible, their glares deepened. He sneered at them. "Even so, I would prefer to speak with you alone."

She nodded. "Alright boys, you heard him." Noticing their hesitation, she urged, "Go on. It'll be fine." She pulled her feet out from underneath Ron and wriggled herself out of Harry's grasp.

The two stood and grudgingly headed for the door. Before they left, however, Ron sent Snape a warning. "If you hurt her, I swear that you will not live to regret it."

"A threat, Weasley?" Snape sneered.

"A promise," the redhead bristled.

"Save it, boy."

Ron took a step back into the room toward Snape. Snape's sneer grew and he stood to meet the ex-student. Ron charged toward the teacher, wand extended. Severus, who had already pulled out his wand, flicked it toward the boy, sending the redhead spinning to the floor. He could vaguely make out Hermione yelling, but he didn't pay any attention to what she was saying. Weasley was incapacitated, but Potter was rushing in now. Foolish boy. Severus raised his wand toward him.

"Severus, stop it!" Hermione screamed. "Harry Potter, you know better!"

Her small hand on his chest brought Severus back to his senses. He blinked down at her in surprise. She stood between him and Potter with one arm toward him, hand resting on his chest, and one finger of the opposite direction pointed in Harry's direction. Severus was surprised to find that she reminded him of Molly Weasley in that moment.

"Stop it! All of you need to get a grip on yourselves and _grow up_! You are _all_ acting childish!" she raged, looking each of them in the face. "None of you can hurt each other without hurting me too!"

The implications of that statement took a moment to sink in for Severus. She was referring not only to her friends, but to him also. It was a strange feeling, having someone care.

"Harry, Ronald, if Severus wants to talk to me in private, he has every right." He sneered at the boys over her head until she turned on him. "Stop attacking them. They might trust you alone with me if you gave them a reason to."

He glared at them all, but lowered his wand and stowed it away in his robes. He tried to take a step back to escape form her hand, but she grabbed the front of his robes and kept him firmly where he was.

"You're not going anywhere," Hermione hissed. "Harry and Ron were just leaving." She looked at them pointedly. Ron was helped to his feet and the two boys left. She turned toward Severus and let go of his robes, shoving him a little as she did so. "Sit," she ordered. He surprised himself by obeying. She remained standing and began to pace in front of him. Remembering something, she sent a silencing charm toward the door before she turned on Snape, her expression livid.

"Severus Snape," she began, you are a grown man. You were a _double-agent_ in the war! For God's sake, _grow up_! I know you don't like Harry and Ron, but get a grip on yourself! They are my best friends and you're probably going to be seeing a lot of them! Do you think you could at least _try_ to control yourself?"

Severus felt his barely suppressed anger boiling, but he shoved it down into obscurity. He knew that she was right. He was being childish and selfish. It wasn't just about him anymore. He looked up to see her glaring at him.

"Why won't you _talk _to me?" she demanded, tugging at her hair. "I can see you thinking and I know you aren't stupid, but you won't tell me anything!"

A bit of temper spilled out despite his tight hold. "You're right, I was a spy in the war. I don't trust easily, and you have done nothing to earn that trust," he said coldly.

Hermione screamed in frustration. "What have I ever done to discourage your trust? Tell me! What did I do? _You're_ the one attacking people!"

He gritted his teeth and fixed her with an accusing stare. "You seemed awfully comfortable with Potter and Weasley for someone who is carrying another man's child."

She blinked at the sudden change of subject. "They're my best friends. There is nothing between any of us," she assured him. She muttered, "No matter how much Ron wishes there were."

"Ah yes," he sneered. "Weasley and his infamous infatuation."

She gave him a tight smile. "I just wish that he would realize that nothing can ever come of this..." she struggled to find the right word, "this _thing_ that happened between us. He's like a brother to me, nothing more. Why can't he understand that?"

As irritated as he was at her, the urge to insult the Weasley boy was just too difficult to ignore. He raised an eyebrow at her. "Surely you of all people, having been acquainted with Weasley for a number of years now, ought to be familiar with his distinct lack of intelligence and common sense," he said dryly. "Do not allow his continuation of that lack of a brain to distress you."

She smiled at him softly. "Thanks. I'm just going to catch up on a bit of reading. Would you care to join me?"

He inclined his head toward her. "I do have lesson plans to prepare for this year. I suppose this would be an ideal time to actually _do_ them, though I hadn't been planning on doing them at all. This at least will spare me from Minerva's wrath."

Hermione studied him for a moment. "Was that an attempt at humor?"

Severus raised his eyebrows. "Was it? I need to gather my things, and then I shall return."

She nodded and went to pull her favorite from a shelf. Curling up in the corner of the couch, she opened the front cover and allowed herself to become absorbed in the comfortingly familiar words of _Pride and Prejudice_.

He returned to find her with her nose predictably buried in a book. She didn't notice him when he piled his books on the coffee table and seated himself cross-legged on the floor in front of the couch. He soon became just as lost in his work as she was in her novel.

Hours passed with the two of them two of them sitting in companionable silence, punctuated only by Hermione's occasional sighs at the exploits of the Bennet family and Severus's groans of frustration at the schedule's adamant refusal to work itself out.

Finally, he threw down his quill and leaned back against the couch, running his hands through his hair. "I give up," he said in an exasperated voice.

Hermione looked up from her book. "Hit a dead end?"

He groaned and held up a hand. "Three."

She set her book aside and crawled to where he was sitting. He stiffened in shock as her hands rested on his shoulders, then began to knead them firmly. She felt his body go rigid and instructed him gently, "Relax your shoulders." He hesitated for another moment and she said, "It's just a shoulder massage. It's okay to let your guard down just this once, I promise. There are no enemies here."

Reluctantly, he let his shoulders relax and she allowed herself to smile. He had to admit, she was good. Her fingers were gentle yet firm as they banished knot after knot from their long-time position in his shoulders. She hit a particularly stubborn knot and he hissed in pain, his hand flying to his shoulder to cover hers.

"Sorry," she murmured, and moved on to another spot.

Eventually her hands stopped moving and she squeezed his shoulders once before removing her hands. Severus was surprised to find himself sorry that it was over. He turned slightly to face her.

"Thank you. That was...pleasant."

Hermione burst out laughing, reclining backwards into the couch. She covered her mouth, trying to stifle her laughter, but the look on his face set her going again.

He wore an angry expression, but inside he was trying to puzzle out why on Earth she was laughing. Did she laugh at everyone when they thanked her?

"I'm sorry," she finally managed to gasp. "I didn't mean to laugh at you, it's just – when you admitted that you liked having your shoulders rubbed, the look on your face was priceless. It looked like someone was force-feeding you a dead cat."

He scowled at her. "In the future I shall try to remember not to thank you again," he said sourly, and turned back to his schedules.

Hermione smacked his arm gently and, not noticing him recoil from her touch, said, "That is not what I meant and you know it."

Severus stood abruptly, holding his left arm, and strode quickly from the room, leaving his papers scattered on the table. Just as abruptly, Hermione realized what she had done. Unintentionally, she had struck a tender spot. His Dark Mark.

"Oh no," she whispered, and got up to go after him.

**A/N: Reviews please!**


	11. Ch10:Fiendish Nightmares

**Chapter 10**

She knocked urgently on his door for the third time. She had already tried the standard unlocking charms, but to no avail. She was starting to consider just exploding the door when if flew open and she was faced with a livid Snape.

"What, Granger?" he roared.

"Let's not do this in the hallway," she said firmly and pushed past him into the room. With their tempers, she knew it was a distinct possibility that it would come to a screaming match and she would really prefer for the entire house not to overhear information in quite that manner.

He shut the door, casting locking and silencing charms on it, and turned to glare at her. "What do you want?" he demanded again.

Hermione sighed. "I was hoping to apologize, actually."

"Apology not accepted," he snarled.

"Really, Severus! I swear I didn't mean to hit you there," she said, already starting to grow impatient.

"You don't know what it's like," he said in a low voice, "to always be judged because of something you did in the past."

Hermione scowled. "I wasn't judging you, Severus! It was an accident! And do not _even_ presume to know what I know! You think I don't know what it feels like to be judged at a glance? I've been one of the most widely recognized faces in the wizarding world since I was twelve!"

"Oh yes," he sneered, "how difficult it must be for you to be known for you amazing heroic exploits with Potter. I wonder that you haven't yet died of shame."

"I never wanted any of it! I never wanted to become famous! I never wanted people fawning over me! People don't want to know me, they want to know the amazing girl who saved the world! At least people leave you alone!"

"And why is that, Granger?" he asked dangerously.

She glared at him. "Because you scare people! You do exactly what you're doing right now! I came up here to apologize, damn it!" She stomped her foot at him. "And I didn't even do it on purpose!"

She could see him shaking with rage. He turned his back on her. "Get out," he hissed.

Hermione crossed her arms over her chest. "No."

He whipped back around to face her. "What did you say to me, girl?" he demanded, voice dangerously low.

She cocked an eyebrow at him. "I'm not a little girl anymore, and you can't intimidate me like you did then."

Severus lunged toward her and grabbed her shoulders, shaking her roughly with each word. "Maybe you should be intimidated." She stared at him with wide eyes and he let go of her with a heavy sigh. He turned away and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm not a nice man, Hermione. I've done things you can't even imagine."

"Is that what this is about?" she demanded gently. "Severus, you changed sides. Everything you did was for the-"

"_Don't_," he hissed, "say it was for the greater good. Dumbledore is dead, Hermione, and we all know who killed him. Do not quote him to me."

She made an impatient noise. "It _was_ all for the greater good. And look how everything turned out. Voldemort is gone." He hissed at her use of the name. "Yes, Dumbledore is gone also, but you did what you had to do, Severus. He was already dying a slow and painful death. You did him a kindness by killing him. Severus, we all did things in that war that we're ashamed of. You are no different. Much as you love to pretend otherwise, you're only human like the rest of us."

He dropped into the desk chair and let his head fall into his hands. He didn't say anything more and Hermione crawled onto the bed to wait out his silence. As she waited, her mind wandered back over the past year.

After Voldemort had fallen, she and Madam Pomfrey had gone back to the Shrieking Shack with the expectation of bringing back a corpse. Instead they had found Snape clinging to life by his fingertips. They had set up a hospital area for him right there until he was stable enough to be moved into the hospital wing. His recovery was long and painful for all involved, as his near death experience proved to have changed him very little. When he recovered enough to return to teaching, he was just as bitter, just as sarcastic, and just as angry as he had been before.

For Harry, Ron, and Hermione, the year had proved uneventful, the most excitement all year being the rush to study for NEWTs. It was the first year that there had been no mystery to unravel, no threat from Voldemort to guard against at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Aside from the distinct lack of danger, though, nothing had changed. Snape was still horrible, Hermione still studied as though her life depended on it, Harry and Ron continued to procrastinate at their schoolwork, begging at the last minute for Hermione to help them, and Hermione continued to take pity on them and warn them that this was really the last time she would help them. Everything had changed, and yet nothing really had. The world had turned upside down for so many people who had lost loved ones, but life continued on as usual.

Somehow the year had seemed surreal. Strangely, Hermione's difficulties now felt more solid than her year of peace had. She supposed she had just grown so accustomed to hardship that her life seemed empty without it. She snorted. Her life was so screwed up.

She glanced toward the man across the room from her. Her gaze rested on his dark hair and black-robed figure, studying him. She noticed the way his back was hunched forward in defeat. His shoulders were pulled in on himself as though he were trying to block out the world. He was such a mystery to her. She could see no sign of anything warm or caring in him anywhere, and yet she knew it was there somewhere. It was buried deep under the rubble of his frozen heart, but she _would_ find it. If it took her the rest of her life, she would revive his spirit, if only for the sake of their child. But that was reason enough for her.

She yawned, suddenly realizing how tired she was. The nightmares that had plagued her so mercilessly after the war had returned in full force in the last few weeks. It was probably the hormones upsetting her system. She sighed and laid down across the length of the bed, stretching out on her side with her eyes fixed on Severus.

oOo

The battlefield stretched endlessly on every side of her. Black-hooded Death Eaters surrounded her, intermixed with her friends and members of the Order. Curses flew around her and she whipped round and round, trying to take in the chaos surrounding her. She reached for her wand to blast a Death Eater who was creeping toward her, only to find that it was missing.

She swore and dove through the mass of fighters, dodging the curses. She was fairly sure that the castle was this way, but then, there was no way to be sure of that. Nothing was visible through the smoke rising steadily from the field. She paused in her flight. Smoke?

A sudden high pitched shriek echoed across the grass. She stared intently in the direction of the sound. A flickering red glow stared back. Through the flames she could make out demonic shapes laughing and dancing in sadistic merriment.

Icy terror clutched at her and threatened to overwhelm her. Fiendfyre! The roar of the magical flames could be heard over the shouts of battle, the demonic cackles sending chills down her spine as they consumed another victim.

She took a few stumbling steps backward from the advancing flames. Her back hit a solid body and she whipped around. A black-robed figure grabbed her arm and she gasped in shock.

Severus Snape sneered down at her. "Are you afraid of me now, little girl?"

She nodded, eyes wide.

He smiled nastily. "Good." Abruptly he pulled her against him. She had no time to react before his lips were crushed against hers. Her hesitation was brief before she allowed her instinct to take over. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself closer. The battle seemed to melt away from them as he ran his tongue across her bottom lip. She opened her mouth to let him in, but he pulled away with a smirk.

"Whore." He shoved her backwards into the waiting flames.

She fell into the fire and screamed as the satanic figures consumed her.

**A/N: Yes, this chapter may sound very very familiar to those who read the older version first. It happens to have come straight from that version. Hope you enjoyed! **

**Personally, I really think I deserve lots and lots of long and happy reviews for giving you two updates in one day ;D**


	12. Ch11:What If?

**Chapter 11**

**A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who left a review! An even bigger thanks and an enormous slice of cheesecake to those who left me two! :D**

"Hermione," Severus said as he shook her gently. "Hermione, wake up."

Her eyes shot open and flew to his face. He made sure that his expression betrayed no emotion. She felt her eyes begin to water as she sat up on the bed.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. "I didn't mean to fall asleep on your bed."

He ignored her apology. "Do you always have nightmares like that?"

She blushed, remembering details of the dream. "Not quite like that," she said quietly.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Care to explain?"

"Fiendfyre," she replied, not wanting to go into full detail.

"I see," he said slowly. "Why then were you moaning my name?"

Her eyes widened. Damn her sleep talking! "I..." She hesitated. "You pushed me in."

"Ah." His tone was frosty.

Hermione's tears spilled over. It wasn't her fault that her mind put that damned dream there! It's not like she _wanted_ to have nightmares about Snape! And not only that, but she had unintentionally pushed him away with her explanation.

Severus made to move away from her, but she grabbed his arm and held him back. He looked into her face, too surprised to mask his expression. It was the first human emotion she could ever remember seeing on his face, and even though it was surprise of all things, the expression looked nice there.

"I'm sorry! Don't be mad at me, please!" she begged, then laid her forehead against his arm. "God, why do I keep apologizing to you?"

He sat staring at her head against his arm in shocked silence. She pulled herself toward him and, pressing her face against his chest, began to sob. He wrapped one arm around her shoulders. His mind was whirling. Why was she crying into his chest? He supposed it could be attributed to the hormonal imbalance that her body was currently experiencing. Of course, with a nightmare like the one she had just woken from, he couldn't really blame her for crying. Slowly, he put his other arm around her waist and began to rock her gently. They stayed silently like that until her sobs began to subside. She, however, made no attempt to move away from him.

When the only sound to be heard was her sniffling slightly, Severus asked softly, "Feeling better?"

She nodded into his chest.

He retracted his arms from around her small frame and cleared his throat. "Hermione, could you..." he said awkwardly, trailing off at the end.

She blushed and pulled away from him. "Sorry," she murmured. A heavy silence filled the air. "How long was I asleep?" she asked after a few moments.

"A little over an hour."

Hermione groaned. "They'll be worried about me."

"The Weasley girl came to the door while you were asleep," he said.

She raised an eyebrow. "What did you say?"

Severus raised an eyebrow back at her. "I told her you were asleep. She made me prove it, but she went away." The girl had actually wanted to wake Hermione up, but he had insisted that she needed the rest and should sleep.

"I can't believe she believed you," Hermione told him. He scowled and stood up. She rolled her eyes at him. "Severus, quit being a drama queen." That earned her a glare. "You don't need to take everything I say as an insult. I only meant that Ginny doesn't trust you."

He stopped pacing, but didn't drop the scowl. "As I said, she made me prove that you hadn't been murdered. She wouldn't go away until I let her see you breathing."

"I see." She paused. "When do we leave for Hogwarts?"

"Two weeks."

She did the calculations. Today was the thirteenth. That meant that they would arrive on the twenty-seventh. Exactly five days before the start of classes. In two weeks she would be back at the old castle. She recall only a few months ago voicing her regret to be leaving its familiar hallways. Now, however, she wasn't sure she wanted to go back, especially considering the circumstances of her return. She would be able to conceal the reason for a short time if she chose, but it would not be long before her belly would give her away. She didn't know what the teachers would think, but she could only imagine the hell she would get from the students she had attended school with the year before. She didn't worry about Severus; he could take care of himself.

She sighed. "How is this possibly going to work, Severus? What are people going to think?"

"You _are_ over seventeen, right?" he asked snidely.

"You know I am," she said in a soothing tone. She didn't want to argue with him again.

"Well then it's legal, and there's nothing anyone can do."

She sighed again. "I know. I just...maybe I care too much what people think."

"Maybe you do," he said coldly.

"Severus, they were my teachers for _seven years_! They're your colleagues! Don't you care in the least bit what they'll have to say about this?"

It was his turn to sigh. "It doesn't matter what they'll have to say about it. What's done is done and it can't be changed now."

She shook her head. "I wish I could be like you that way. I wish I could just not care."

But that was the problem. He _did_ care. He cared more than he would ever admit to her or anyone else. He didn't want to care, but he did anyway.

A knock on the door interrupted them. Severus glanced once at Hermione, who was staring down at her hands on the bed, then walked to the door, his expression one of mild disinterest. He swung the door open to find Molly Weasley standing before him, a letter in her hands.

"An owl just delivered this for Hermione. Ginny told me she was here," she said crisply.

"Yes," he drawled, "she is here." He stepped aside for the motherly woman to enter the room.

Molly caught sight of Hermione sitting on the bed, obviously upset. She glared accusingly at Severus.

He scowled. "I assure you, Molly, I have no intention of taking advantage of Hermione," he said angrily. Her glare continued, unchanged.

"Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said softly, "he didn't do anything. I'm just being ridiculous and emotional."

Mrs. Weasley's expression softened as she looked toward the young woman. She bustled over to Hermione and held out the letter. "Here you are, dear."

Hermione took the thick envelope from the older woman, but, seeing the St. Mungo's seal on the front, made no move to open it in front of her. "Thank you, Mrs. Weasley." She could see the disappointment in the redhead's eyes at not being allowed to know the letter's contents, but she ignored it. If the news was bad, she didn't want Mrs. Weasley to see her cry.

The woman nodded once and headed back to the door, fixing her glare on Severus again. "Severus, if you hurt her – now or ever – so help me God, I will kill you the most painful way I know."

His back was to Hermione, but she could see him shaking in rage.

"Severus," she whispered.

She hadn't thought he would be able to hear her, but he crossed his arms over his chest and she could see him taking deep breaths.

"Get out, Molly," he finally said in a tight voice.

Molly stepped into the doorway. "Remember what I said. I fully intend to keep that vow."

His control was slipping. "Out. _Now_," he grated out between his teeth.

As soon as the door had clicked shut he threw his hand out toward the far side of the room. Hermione stared in shock and wonder as the broken glass fragments flew toward him, knitting themselves back together as they went. As soon as the now-perfect vase reached his hand, he threw it back against the wall, restoring the shattered pieces to their original place on the floor. Unsatisfied, he repeated the process twice more before he turned on his head and stormed around the room, his pacing agitated and angry.

"Severus?" Hermione asked timidly. "Did you just...? That was wandless nonverbal magic..." she said, awed.

"Yes," he sneered. "Such significant powers of observation you possess, Granger."

"But sir, that's impossible," she said, the opportunity for academic discovery causing her to automatically slipping back to formal address.

"Obviously it is not, Granger, as I have just performed it," he spat.

She stared at him with wide eyes. "You are aware of the sheer amount of raw magical power that that would require?"

"Yes, Granger, I was quite aware of that fact even before your know-it-all remark," he answered nastily.

His tone brought her back to herself. "There's no need to be so nasty to me, Severus. I didn't do anything wrong. You can't just throw something like that out and expect me not to be amazed. The only wizards I've ever heard of doing wandless nonverbal magic are Voldemort," he flinched unconsciously, "and Dumbledore."

"Do shut up, Granger," he snapped irritably. "Just open your damned letter and leave me alone."

Hermione forgot to make an angry retort, as she was immediately preoccupied with nervously studying the envelope she had forgotten she had. Severus continued to pace, but his curiosity got the better of him and he was continually throwing glances in her direction. Hands trembling, she slowly tore the envelope open and drew out the thick wad of papers. The size of the packet was a good sign and he felt a bit of smugness arise.

She scanned the pages quickly and looked up at him, grinning happily. "I got in! They accepted me!" She looked back up at Severus to find him smirking at her. "What?" she asked warily.

"I was right," he said smugly. "You got in just like I said."

"Yeah, yeah, rub it in why don't you?" she muttered, but she was already reading over the pages again. "Madam Pomfrey has apparently already been in contact with St. Mungo's. It says here that I will be training at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry under Poppy Pomfrey."

"Yes, I did mean to tell you that. I received a note saying as much from Minerva," he informed her. "It was why I went down to the library in the first place. Somehow I never seemed to have gotten around to telling you."

She nodded absently. "There's so much to learn!" she exclaimed. "How am I ever supposed to learn all this in two years?" She held up a set of what appeared to between five and ten pages, completely crammed with descriptions of the curriculum. "That's not even if I decide to specialize!"

Severus raised an eyebrow; half of him was irritated by her behavior, but the other half was strangely amused. "Somehow I think you'll pull through," he said sarcastically.

She gave him a panicked look. "But what if I don't? What if I go the whole two years and then I fail my exams? What if I don't make it two years? What if Madam Pomfrey says I'm a failure and sends me away? What if-"

"Hermione," Severus cut through her rant, but she ignored him.

"-I do something wrong?"

"_Hermione_," he said, a little louder.

She gasped. "What if I accidentally kill someone!" Her eyes were wide with horror. "What if I-"

"_Hermione Granger_!" he yelled. She turned her head toward him abruptly, breaking off mid-sentence. "I am only going to tell you this once, so you had best listen carefully. You are not going to fail, you are not going to be sent away, and you are not going to kill anyone. For you to do so would go against your very being. You are a brilliant witch and you need to start acting like it. As you so love to tell everyone else, _grow up_, Granger."

He stalked to the door and threw it open, not bothering to shut it behind himself as he descended the stairs soundlessly.

Hermione stared after him, unsure of what to think. He had just complimented her greatly, while simultaneously insulting her. And yet she knew that the insult was justified. Such ridiculous fears had no place within her. She had always excelled at everything she did, though she wouldn't go so far as to say that she was brilliant. Severus Snape thought she was brilliant? How decidedly odd a thought that was.

She sighed and crawled to the edge of the bed. It would be best if she weren't there when he returned. As she got to her feet, she folded the papers and stuffed them back into the envelope. She closed the door gently behind her and headed down to the library to read in peace, glad when she didn't meet Severus on the way. Curling up in the corner of the window seat, she read deeply by the fading light of a blood-red sun.

**A/N: Hooray for updates! And this one is a super-dy duper long one! :D Well, for me it is anyway. **

**The best way to show your love and adoration for me is to leave a me a wonderful, long review! ;D**


	13. Ch12:Drunken Pleasures

**A/N: WARNING. THERE IS EXTREME RATED M CONTENT IN THIS CHAPTER. IF THIS OFFENDS YOU, DON'T READ THE SECOND PORTION OF THE CHAPTER.**

**Chapter 13**

When the last ray of light had bled out of the room, Hermione waved her wand absentmindedly toward the fire grate and continued reading. She was nearly through when Ron appeared in the doorway.

"Mum sent me to get you for dinner," he said.

Hermione didn't look up from her papers as she answered, "I'll be there in a few minutes. Just let me finish this. It's the last page." She sensed him walking toward her and inwardly sighed.

"Hermione," he began after a moment of strained silence in which she did her best to ignore him, "I just wanted you to know that just because you're," he paused, repressing a shudder, "having a baby with Snape, it doesn't mean that you have to be with him. I... You do have other options," he finished awkwardly.

Hermione reddened and reluctantly set aside her still unfinished page. "Ron," she said as patiently as she could manage, "I'm sorry. I just don't..." She hesitated. How could she make this perfectly clear without destroying him? "I don't think of you like that. You're like my brother, my protector, my best friend. Not anything more." She glanced at his face and wished she hadn't. His face held such a look of disappointment that it made her heart ache. She didn't know why he seemed surprised by her answer. She had shouted it at him not long ago, after all. But she couldn't take any of it back now even if she wanted to, which she certainly did not.

He nodded. "It's okay. I'm just gonna go to dinner." He retreated as quickly as he could and shut the door.

Hermione wanted to cry. Why was the world so against her all of a sudden?

She pulled the last page back into her lap and finished it quickly. Only then did she leave the library. She walked slowly toward the kitchen, taking as long as she could get away with. Everyone looked up as she entered. She slid into an empty seat beside Ginny; Severus sat directly across the table from her.

"Sorry I'm late. I was finishing something," she said softly before beginning to fill her plate.

"That's perfectly alright, dear," said Molly. The meal continued on in silence for a few moments. "Well, Hermione, what news from St. Mungo's?"

Severus tensed, expecting more self-doubting garbage from the silly girl.

A genuine smile lit Hermione's face. "I got the internship. And I'll be doing my training with Madam Pomfrey."

"Excellent!" Harry said, reaching around Ginny to pat his friend on the back.

"Congratulations!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed.

Even Ron managed to look pleased for her.

"So when do you begin?" the older woman asked.

"October."

Mrs. Weasley nodded, suddenly gaining a concerned look. "Hermione," she said hesitantly, "have you spoken to your parents lately?"

Severus looked up at Hermione, realizing that he hadn't ever heard her speak of her parents. He saw her body stiffen and her fingers tighten on the silverware until her knuckles turned white. She shook her head.

"Don't you think they'd like to know that they're going to have a grandchild? Perhaps visiting them...?"

"No," Hermione said stiffly. "Absolutely not. I will not go to them."

Molly grew stern. "Just talk to them, Hermione. And for all you know, the baby may change their minds."

"It won't. If you recall, changing their minds is what got me into this mess in the first place," she said stubbornly.

"Hermione Jean Granger, you _will _go and see your parents if I have to drag you there. You will go immediately after dinner and you will have a long talk with them, in which you will tell them everything that has happened this summer."

Severus's mask of indifference slipped for a moment, displaying his shock when he looked back toward Hermione to see her glaring at Molly. She pushed her chair back from the table and stormed out of the room.

"You have better be on your way to see your parents!" Molly yelled after the girl, to which the only reply was the slamming of the front door.

oOo

Much later that night, Severus's attention was pulled away from his book by someone coming up the stairs. By the sound of the footsteps, that someone was very angry. With a sigh he prepared himself to face the wrath of Molly for some unknown evil.

His door flew open and Hermione stormed in, slamming it shut behind her. Ignoring Severus completely, she raged toward his desk, opening the bottom cabinet. She grabbed a bottle of firewhisky, and, before he could react, pulled out the cork and took a swig.

"Granger," he said severely, "have you learned nothing from our little adventure a few months ago?"

She pulled out her wand and turned on him. "Shut the fuck up, Snape! I am in no mood for your shit tonight!" She took another long drink.

Severus was stunned into speechlessness. What the fuck...? She had stormed in, presumably after visiting with her parents, pulled her wand on him, swore at him, and was now busily engaged in draining a bottle of his firewhisky. What the hell was going on?

"Hermione," he said more cautiously, keeping his eyes on her wand. She was obviously very angry and was quickly slipping into intoxication, so there was no telling what she might do. Her inhibitions were melting away in direct proportion to her sobriety. "I need you to give me the firewhisky." She reached into the cabinet and tossed him a bottle. He caught it and laid it beside him on the bed. "No, I need _that _bottle," he clarified, pointing to the one in her hand.

She glared and clutched the bottle possessively to her chest. "Piss off, Snape. If I feel like getting wasted tonight, it's none of your damned business." She took another swig from the bottle.

"It _is_ my business," he countered, slowly getting off the bed and edging toward her. "You aren't supposed to have alcohol. You're pregnant, Hermione. With _my_ child. Which makes it very much my business."

She considered him for a moment, putting the bottle to her lips for a long draught. When she lowered it again, a sly smile spread across her face. She held the bottle up to him. "You want it, come and get it from me." She hugged the whiskey close to her chest and watched him.

A jolt ran through him. Was she...coming on to him? Dear God, he prayed, don't make me have to resist her. I don't know if I could. He continued toward her, the look in her eyes making chills run down his spine. At last he reached her and stretched out his hand to take the bottle from her.

She tutted at him and hid the bottle behind her back as she slowly crept backwards to the wall. "Not so fast, buddy. You have to come _get_ it from me."

Severus gulped and tried to ignore the tightening of his pants. He followed the witch across the room. He heard the bottle behind her back hit the wall, his pulse accelerating. She was right in front of him now. He could reach out and touch her. He held out a hand. "The firewhisky please."

She shook her head with a mischievous grin. "Come get it."

He obliged, lunching forward and taking the bottle from her, and taking a moment to down the rest of its contents before tossing the empty bottle to the floor. The firewhisky burned a hot trail down his throat and into his belly, dulling his thinking deliciously. He pressed Hermione against the wall with his body. He caught her wrists, pinning them above her head and capturing her mouth. God, but she tasted amazing.

He moved quickly from her lips, kissing his way down to her neck, tasting every inch along the way. She moaned as he found a tender spot at the corner of her jaw. Heat erupted within him at the noise and he released her hands, reaching for the hem of her shirt. She watched his face hungrily as he ripped the garment from her frame. There was no hesitation before he reached around to undo her bra, letting it fall to the ground.

He groaned, feeling himself harden further at the sight of her half naked before him. He leaned over and captured a nipple in his mouth, caressing it with his tongue before sucking hungrily at it. She moaned loudly and wound her fingers through his hair, holding him to her breast. His hand came up to her other nipple, flicking it roughly and eliciting a groan of pleasure.

Unable to stand it anymore, he released her nipple from his mouth with a pop, straightened up, and threw her over his shoulder, fireman style. He stalked to the bed, pushing her down on it. He fumbled briefly with the button and the zipper on her jeans before tugging them off and throwing them to the floor. He slipped two fingers into the waistband of her underwear, tracing her hips lightly. He grinned as she arched into his hand with a moan. She slowly he pulled the underwear down from her hips, over her knees, and off, dropping them onto the floor by her pants.

He took a moment to stare down at the naked woman below him, drinking in the sight of her glorious body. Pushing her knees apart, he spread her legs wide, giving a low chuckle as she whimpered. He lowered his head, finding her sensitive clit immediately and taking it into his mouth. She gasped and arched her back into him. He flicked the delicate nub back and forth with his tongue for a few moments before reach up and slipping two fingers inside her.

She was so tight and deliciously wet for him. He pumped his fingers in and out of her for a few moments as he continued to tease her clit with his tongue. She moaned and thrust her hips as she began to tremble. She cried out in sheer pleasure as her walls tightened around his fingers. When she lay panting he pulled his fingers out of her and sat up.

He quickly shed his robes and shirt and fumbled with his belt. She sat up and covered his hands with her own, undoing his belt and button with deft fingers. He slid the pants and underwear from his frame and stepped out of them. She smiled at him coyly and reached out to stroke his erection, making him groan.

Leaving him standing beside the bed, she crawled to the center, lay down with legs spread wide, and looked at him expectantly. He didn't hesitate to follow, settling himself on top of her between her legs. She wrapped her legs around him and caught his gaze. He thrust into her slowly, wanting her to feel every inch of his length. They moaned in unison as he slid into her.

She wrapped her hands around his arms as he began to thrust in and out of her. She planted her feet against the mattress and matched his thrusts, speeding up slowly together. She reached down with one hand and flicked her clit back and forth as he pounded into her. She felt her climax coming and thrust against him harder, throwing herself over the edge as stars burst in her eyes. She cried out as her walls tightened around him for the second time that night.

Her release pushed him over the edge as well and she felt her belly flood with warmth as he released into her. The two collapsed beside each other, exhausted.

They barely managed to crawl under the blankets and into each others arms before they were both asleep.

**A/N: I am so incredibly, terribly, awfully sorry! I know, I know, I fell off a cliff and died for a few months... But I'm back now! :)**

**I didn't proofread this chapter because of the extreme lateness of the hour, but I promise I'll go back and do it later!**

**Please leave me a review! I'll love forever and ever!**


	14. Ch13:A Proposal

**Chapter 13**

Hermione awoke to the most peculiar sensation of arms wrapped around her. She was conscious of a warm chest against her back and a face nestled in her hair. Panic engulfed her. She knew _exactly_ where she was. Her memories of the night were hazy, but judging by her location and distinct lack of clothing, she knew exactly what had happened. She just didn't know _how_ it had happened.

The question now was how the hell she was going to get out of this without him waking up. She made a cautious attempt to wriggle out of his grip, but his arms tightened around her and he made a noise of protest in his sleep. She settled back into his embrace with a quiet sigh. She could pretend to be asleep until he woke and left first?

He groaned and stirred, burrowing his face deeper into her curls. She snapped her eyes shut and did her best to even out her breathing. The erratic beating of her heart, she could do nothing about. The body beside her stiffened suddenly and she knew he was awake. He lifted his head and she could feel his gaze on her face.

"Fuck," he swore. Removing his arms from around her, he ran a hand through his hair. "I know you're awake, Granger."

Hermione let her breath out in a huff and opened her eyes. Clutching the blankets over her naked chest, she sat up, looking anywhere but at him. "What happened?" she asked timidly.

She could sense his scowl. "You charged into my room, stole my firewhiskey, and got roaring drunk," he snapped irritably. "What the bloody hell were you thinking? Do you _want_ to harm your child?" he demanded, then added softly, "You need to be checked over by a healer."

She nodded silently.

Severus sighed. "I, too, was drunk. I...apologize for what happened last night." There was no need for them to wonder what they had done. Their clothing was strewn about the room and they were in bed together naked. Neither of them had any doubt that sex had been on the menu the night before.

"No, it's my fault." She had a vague memory of inviting him to her. Changing the subject she asked, "So what do we do now?"

He was glad that she didn't see his blush. "If you would be so kind as to keep your gaze averted I will go into the lavatory to dress. Shout when you are dressed."

She nodded again and locked her gaze on the comforter in her lap. He gathered up his courage and stepped out of bed, gathering his clothes before hurrying into the bathroom.

As soon as the door clicked shut behind him Hermione slipped out of the bed. She claimed her clothes off of the floor as quickly as possible and pulled them on. Taking another moment to compose herself, she announced, "I'm dressed."

On the other side of the door, Severus was cursing himself quite colorfully.

"God, Severus, what the fuck were you thinking last night?" he growled under his breath. "how the hell could you have let this happen you idiotic asshole?" He threw his clothes on and stood with his arms crossed, waiting for her to finish. When he heard her call out that she was dressed, he returned slowly to the bedroom. She was standing beside the bed wringing her hands nervously.

"Sit," he commanded. "We need to talk." She slid cautiously onto the side of the bed without looking his direction. Severus remained standing. "Now. What the hell happened last night that caused you to storm into my quarters and assault me?" he demanded.

"I took Mrs. Weasley's advice," she admitted.

"I see. Your parents did not take the news well."

"Hermione laughed bitterly. "My father called me a whore."

His eyebrows rose in surprise. "I see," he repeated.

"My mother wants to meet you, if you wouldn't mind terribly."

He scowled. "I do mind terribly." At her crestfallen expression he added, "However, as I am going to be raising their grandchild it would most likely be wise to meet your parents."

"When do you want to go?" she asked.

"Today," he said without hesitation. "We will go after you are checked over at St. Mungo's." He crossed his arms over his chest and scowled at her, daring her to argue.

She nodded meekly and wrapped her arms around herself. "I'm sorry for last night," she murmured.

"In the future I expect you to refrain from such outbursts," he said severely.

"I'm sorry," she repeated. An awkward silence hung in the air as each of them tried hard not to look at each other.

Clearing his throat, he suggested gruffly, "Why don't you and I shower and then go?"

She flushed and stuttered incoherently for a moment.

He rolled his eyes, though his cheeks tinged red, and clarified, "Separately. Shower separately."

"Oh, uhm, yes. I'll just... go now."

She slid off the bed and made her way to the door silently without looking his direction.

oOo

An hour and a half later, the bike pulled up in a quiet neighborhood and Severus found himself looking at a row of townhouses. They were all obviously very well cared for. Each had a small square of green grass surrounded by a neat white fence. Against the houses grew a row of bushes.

"It's that one," Hermione said, pointing toward the house with a black number 13 pained beside the door. She fixed him with a stern gaze. "My parents and I don't get along right now, but if you hurt them I will personally murder you."

He scowled at her. "I'm not going to hurt them, Granger." Turning to stalk up the sidewalk, he knocked solidly three times and stood to wait.

For an instant, Hermione was almost sorry for her parents. Then she saw her father open the door and stare at Severus, and she knew that they deserved what was coming.

"Hermione said that you insisted on meeting me," he sneered.

The balding man stared at him blankly for a moment, then leaned around him to look toward Hermione. She wiggled her fingers sweetly at her father. He turned back to Severus. "And you are...?"

"My name is Severus Snape."

It finally clicked in Mr. Granger's mind who this was. Before him stood the man who had knocked up his daughter. He had been expecting someone much younger. The man on his doorstep looked to be his own age. Late thirties at the very youngest, and that was pushing it.

Mr. Granger sent Snape a glare very much like his daughter's and stepped aside for the man to enter the house. He caught a glimpse of Hermione's smirking face before the door closed.

oOo

Severus threw the door open and it slammed against the wall of the porch. He expected to see Hermione waiting for him by the motorcycle, but she wasn't there. The bike sat where she had left it, but Hermione herself was nowhere in sight. He heard movement by the side of the house and stepped around quickly. Old habits kicked in and he kept his wand in his hand up his sleeve, hidden from sight. He was not, after all, too rash to remember that he was standing in the middle of a Muggle neighborhood. He slid silently off of the porch and whirled to face the sound.

Hermione was crouched on the ground and as he watched, she wiped the back of her hand over her mouth and tried to get up. She wobbled for a moment and threatened to fall back on her butt, but Severus reached down to grab her arm, steadying her.

She smiled up at him grimly. "Thank you. I was just leaving a gift for my dear parents."

"I see," he said, helping her to her feet. "It suits them." He could have cleaned up the vomit with a simple scourgify, but he thought he ought to leave it for them to clean up themselves the Muggle way. "Let's go." She she was on her feet and walking steadily, he let go of her arm. "Are you sure you're well enough to drive that thing?"

"The mediwitch said I'm fine. It was just a bit of morning sickness." She smirked at him. "I think you just don't want to get on it again."

He scowled at her and outpaced her quickly to the bike. Her smirk stayed in place as she climbed on in front of him and kicked the engine to life. He inwardly groaned at the roar and wrapped his arms around her waist again as they accelerated.

It was with relief that he saw Grimmauld Place approaching in the distance. It was with a sinking heart that he rode right on past it.

"Where are we going?" he yelled into her ear.

"What?"

"I said, where are we going?" he bellowed louder.

She shook her head in response.

He sighed and resigned himself to an unknown length of time on the back of this damned thing. Knowing she couldn't see him, he squeezed his eyes shut. No matter how he denied it, he thoroughly loathed this motorbike. Luckily for him, they did not have far to go until Hermione pulled up shortly and killed the engine. He immediately dropped his arms and removed himself from the bike.

They were at the entrance to a children's park. Severus turned a questioning look to Hermione.

She shrugged. "I'm not ready to go back yet and I thought it would be nice to take a walk." Without waiting for a reply from him, she strode toward the gated entrance.

He followed and fell in step beside her as they walked silently around the edge of the park. Hermione watched the children laughing and playing on the jungle gym. A small boy ran across the swinging bridge and dove for the slide, going down on his belly. She heard the boy start to wail as he crashed into the ground head first. The boy's mother ran to him and wrapped him in her arms, brushing wood chips from his blonde hair and telling him that it would be okay. He pointed to his head and his mother smiled, placing a kiss there. Hermione could all but hear the woman telling her son that it was all better now, that he should run along and keep playing.

It struck her suddenly that in a few short months, she would be comforting a crying child. In a few years she would be the one brushing wood chips from her child's hair and telling them that it was all better with a kiss. She knew the time would fly by. In no time at all, she was going to be responsible for a tiny life. The thought terrified her, and yet she also felt a sort of strange anticipation for the event.

She glanced up to see Severus watching her with a pensive expression. She smiled at him reassuringly. "I'm fine. Just thinking."

He didn't press her, but said abruptly, "Your parents are infuriating."

She snorted. "Tell me about it."

"Your father did, however, bring up a valid point."

He hesitated and Hermione's heart quickened. She knew what he was going to say. Her father had mentioned it to her as well. It was the only worthwhile thing he'd had to say to her. It was important enough for Severus to mention. The topic also warranted his hesitation.

"Your father asked if I intended to marry you," he said carefully, sounding out each word. He didn't look at her while he spoke. Hermione realized that he was afraid of her reaction.

She nodded. "Yes he asked me the same thing."

"I am aware that I have never been known as an honorable man," he told her slowly, "but I think that it might be best. For both of us."

She nodded again. "I think so too." She couldn't believe she was discussing marriage to Snape so calmly. "It would certainly save us both a lot of hardship."

"Yes."

"I do think, however, that we should do this Vegas style. Just you, me, a couple witnesses, and all in jeans and a t-shirt. No big white wedding. Unless you had other plans, of course."

It was his turn to nod. "I had no plans at all. However, I am fond of your idea."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Do you have to talk so formally all the time?"

He raised an eyebrow to match hers. "Until such a time as I feel comfortable speaking informally to you – if such a time occurs – I shall continue in this formal manner."

Hermione sighed. "I see." She stopped walking and watched a little girl being pushed on a swing by her older sister. "Severus, do you want more children?"

He looked at her suddenly, surprised by the question. He followed her gaze to the two girls. "I had never imagined myself having even one," he replied. He did not state the fact that to have more children would require them to... Well, he did not mention it. He realized that she was watching him and was instantly aware of the blush that had stained his cheeks at the thoughts of a moment before.

She quickly analyzed her question and her thoughts hit the same trail as his had. She blushed and looked away, continuing along the perimeter of the fence. They were both silent as they walked.

Severus had done as much thinking as Hermione and a great deal more worrying. He had gotten his student – former student, he corrected himself – pregnant. She was a young woman with her whole life ahead of her, and he was forcing her to spend those years with him, a bitter, sarcastic old man. She was condemned to a miserable existence, devoid of any happiness. How could she ever be happy with him?

And they were having a baby. He and this woman he had doomed to misery were going to be responsible for the every need of an otherwise helpless human being. He didn't have the slightest clue how to take care of an infant. He hadn't even been able to keep fish alive! His only comfort was that no matter how much Molly Weasley despised him, she loved Hermione and would no doubt love Hermione's baby despite it being half Snape.

"Severus?" Hermione asked timidly. "Are we going to go through with it?"

"If you wish it," he answered solemnly.

She touched his arm and turned to frown at him. "What about what you want? This isn't just about me. It's about both of us. Oh, the baby will be born no matter what happens, things would still work out somehow, but that's not what I'm interested in. I want to know what would be best for _us_."

"Us, Hermione? Is there an us?"

She exploded. "Of course there's an us, you idiot! I'm having your baby and considering marrying you! How could there not be an us?" she shouted, drawing the stares of a nearby cluster of mothers.

When Severus glared at them fiercely, they turned back to each other and began whispering loudly.

"Shut up, Granger," he hissed. "You're making a scene."

"No I will not shut up, Severus! I don't want to be stuck with you any more than you want to be stuck with me! Get over yourself, Snape!"

His head reeled slightly at the abrupt mood swing. However, this new turn was a situation he could deal with. He knew how to react here. "I doubt that, Granger! You are the last person on Earth I'd want to be stuck with!"

"Why'd you get me pregnant then?"

"I was drunk!" he roared.

Hermione was about to scream a reply at him when she felt a hand on her arm. She closed her mouth, shooting Severus a glare instead, before looking to see who had touched her. A hugely pregnant woman stood beside her. The woman looked to be only a few years older than Hermione was.

"Is everything okay over here?" she asked in a stern voice. Her accent was American. If she had to guess, Hermione would say the South.

Severus gritted his teeth and glared down at the woman. "Fine," he replied tensely.

"Why don't you come over here with me for a moment?" she asked Hermione, sending Severus a cold look.

Hermione nodded and followed the woman a few meters away from Severus.

"Is everything okay?" she repeated, looking Hermione in the eye. "It's okay to tell me the truth, he can't hear us from here."

"Yes, everything's fine."

The woman looked at her doubtfully. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, it's fine. We both just have a bit of a tempter, that's all, and hormones going insane, you know?" Hermione said, gesturing to the woman's protruding belly.

She smirked. "Yes, I do know." She glanced back at Severus before turning worried eyes back to Hermione. "Is he forcing you into this?"

To her own surprise and obviously the stranger's too, Hermione laughed. "God no! We're both the absolute last person that the other would ever get involved with. I assure you we were both very drunk. But he means well, in his way."

The woman nodded doubtfully and reached for her purse. "Well, my name is Helen," she said, digging through her bag. She emerged with a small slip of paper. "This is my husband's business card. This," she said, pointing to a number in the top right corner, "is our phone number at home. If you ever need to talk or," she inclined her head in Severus's direction, "to _get away_, if you know what I mean, don't hesitate to call me."

Hermione felt that she should be insulted that the woman refused to believe her, but she found it impossible to be so. On the contrary, she was touched that the woman, a complete stranger, cared enough to reach out. She nodded. "Thank you, Helen," she said sincerely.

"It's the least I could do. Please, if you need anything at all, give me a call."

"I will. Thank you again." Hermione smiled gratefully at the woman and turned to walk away.

"Wait, what's your name?" Helen called out.

"Hermione," she answered, and walked back to Severus.

Hermione didn't see Helen's jaw drop as she stared after her. It all clicked into place in Helen's mind now. The reason the man looked so familiar. She recognized him from the Daily Prophet. Good God, it was Severus Snape!

Hermione returned to Severus and grabbed his hand. He stiffened and tried to pull it away, but she held on. "Convince her," Hermione hissed at him through a smile. He scowled at her but allowed his hand to remain in her grasp. "Try not to look so angry. Why don't you ever smile?"

"Have I ever had a reason to smile?" he retorted, but he dropped the scowl from his face.

They completed their circuit of the park and Hermione dropped Severus's hand the instant the gate snapped shut behind them.

"Let's go back," she said curtly. "Everyone will be just dying to know what happened." She rolled her eyes and got onto the motorcycle.

"I'll walk," Severus said dryly.

She shrugged. "Suit yourself."

She sped off, leaving him in a cloud of exhaust.

**A/N: *Hides behind her notebook***

**I'm so SO sorry about the wait! But look, it's almost twice the length of the other chapters! Cookies for that? I have done no proofreading on this chapter because of the lateness of the hour, so if you find mistakes, please let me know! Thanks for reading guys, please review :)**


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